The Chief of the UK’s Security Intelligence Service (MI-6), Richard Moore, warned his former intelligence officers and their families to not travel to China – either for business or pleasure, according to the UK’s Mirror. The warning included a “hot line” number for individuals with travel plans to call – no doubt to receive a briefing on why such travel was a bad idea.
In his note to former intelligence officers, Moore says, “The Chinese service are becoming increasingly proactive and aggressive in approaching former members of HMG, including security and intelligence agencies. We advise former staff to avoid travel there for business or other reasons.”
A few days prior, Moore spoke at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, noting how China was heavily engaged in “large-scale operations against the UK. ”
Moore will get no disagreement from United States counterintelligence entities who have repeatedly warned how China is actively targeting personnel with current or historical access to the nation’s secrets. Examples of such include:
- Former CIA officer Jerry Chun Shing Lee
- Former CIA officer Alexander Yuk Ching Ma
- Former DIA officer Ron Rockwell Hansen
- Former State officer Candace Marie Claiborne
All of the above cases back up the warning from MI-6’s Moore.
Interestingly, the United States has issued similarly warnings with respect to China and Russia for its citizens and former/current government employees.
Do Not Travel/Reconsider Travel
The United States Department of State has placed Russia at Level 4 – Do Not Travel and China at Level 3 – Reconsider Travel.
- Russia – The Department notes, how “former and current U.S. government and military personnel and private citizens engaged in business, who are visiting or residing in Russia have been interrogated without cause, and threatened by Russian officials and may become victims of harassment, mistreatment, and extortion. All U.S. government personnel should carefully consider their need to travel to Russia.
There is no getting around the fact that Russia and the United States (and its allies) are currently experiencing a frosty relationship. The above admonishment from the State Department went on to describe how the Russian security services have arrested and held citizens on spurious charges, and that the Departments ability to engage in U.S. consular services to citizens is often delayed. Paul Whelan is one such case; he currently sits in a Russian prison, having been convicted of espionage.
- China – The Department notes, how “The PRC government arbitrarily enforces local laws, including by carrying out arbitrary and wrongful detentions and through the use of exit bans on U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries without due process of law.”
While China and the U.S. relationship is equally frosty, both the UK and the United States look at China as the greater threat when it comes to espionage. The travel advisory goes on to highlight that detained U.S. citizens may be compelled to participate in government investigations, pressure family members to return to China (see Operation Fox Hunt), use influence in civil suits to affect an outcome favorable to China, and to provide leverage with other governments. Especially important for travelers to be aware the advisory warns, “In most cases, U.S. citizens only become aware of an exit ban when they attempt to depart the PRC, and there is no reliable mechanism or legal process to find out how long the ban might continue or to contest it in a court of law.”
FSO action required
FSO’s should be reaching out to their constituencies as end-of-year travel plans are cementing of their need to submit foreign travel plans for review and to be aware of the risks associated with both Russia and China travel.
