China on Monday accused a government employee of spying for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This is the second time in a month the Chinese government has leveled accusations of espionage against a Chinese national.

The investigation of the case, which involves a 39-year-old Chinese citizen named Hao, is still underway.

Without specifying Hao's gender, the Ministry of State Security (MSS) in a statement said that Hao was studying in Japan when they got involved with a US embassy employee called "Ted" and developed "a close relationship" with him.

Ted then introduced Hao to another colleague named Li Jun who was a CIA employee in Tokyo and who "instigated Hao into rebelling," and convinced Hao to sign an espionage agreement, the ministry's statement continued.

China has alleged that Hao had received training from the US before he started working for a government department in China.

Hao "made several secret contacts with CIA personnel within the country to provide intelligence and collect espionage funds" while working there, the ministry said.

China goes belligerent in name of national security

Earlier this month, in a case with striking similarities, Beijing detained a 52-year-old Chinese national for providing "core secret information" to the CIA in exchange for money.

In July, China had revised its anti-espionage law, which expanded the purview of espionage giving authorities sweeping power to punish anyone deemed threatening its national security.

Under the new law, "relying on espionage organizations and their agents" as well as the unauthorized obtaining of "documents, data, materials, and items related to national security and interests" can constitute a spying offense.

Beijing had even asked its citizens to engage in counter-espionage activities.

mfa/fb (AFP, Reuters)