CCTV said a US professor close to Hou introduced him to someone who claimed to be an employee of a consulting company, but was actually an American “intelligence officer” using the company as his cover, CCTV said.
In the ensuing months as they became more friendly, the intelligence officer approached Hou to become a consulting expert at “his company”, promising him a payment of US$600-US$700 each time for the quality of his service.
A few months later, while Hou’s wife and son were visiting the US, the American revealed his true intentions and proposed a change in the way they cooperated. Hou, fearing for his wife’s and son’s safety, agreed to the terms, according to CCTV.
Under the arrangement, over many meetings, Hou would be asked to disclose highly classified secrets in hour-long sessions and would get US$1,000 as compensation, the report said.
The cooperation continued after Hou returned to China in 2014. He would meet with US intelligence while attending international conferences, CCTV said. He also provided intelligence information in the field of national defence and the military industry on his own initiative, the report said.
After investigations by the Chinese government, Hou was detained in July 2021 and charged on suspicion of espionage.
In recent years, China has arrested and detained dozens of Chinese and foreign nationals on suspicion of espionage, raising the concerns of the US over its counter-espionage push.
Recently, China’s spy agency published new details about a US citizen jailed for life for espionage earlier this year.
Source: CNA
