China’s counterintelligence officials have warned businesses under Beijing’s jurisdiction that sharing information with Western corporate consulting firms could “seriously endanger national security.”
“Such information, if accumulated to a certain extent and analyzed in a comprehensive manner, can reflect important information about our economic operation, national defense and military,” according to China’s Ministry of State Security.
The warning accompanied a video that outlined a purported incident in which a consultancy exploited its relationship with a Chinese client on behalf of “overseas spy agencies,” as the South China Morning Post explained. The message underscores the fraught dynamics of international economic relationships that Chinese officials are keen to expand, even as the communist regime and Western powers view each other with increasing suspicion.
“We will provide broader development space for U.S. and other foreign businesses,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Thursday. “In the business cooperation, the two sides should stay committed to mutual respect, mutual benefit, and …