Chinese authorities have detained a married couple, accusing them of spying for the UK.

The Ministry of State Security announced on Monday that the recruitment of the couple by the UK's intelligence agency MI6 is under investigation. This case is the newest in a series of alleged espionage incidents amid growing discord between China and the UK.

Both detained individuals are Chinese nationals affiliated with unspecified state agencies, according to the ministry.

The husband, identified solely by the surname Wang, was reportedly approached by British intelligence in 2015 while he was a student in the UK. MI6 allegedly exploited his “strong desire for money” by inviting him to dinners and events.

British operatives supposedly promised security and used “persistent persuasion, enticement and even pressure” to recruit Wang, who initially resisted but eventually complied, the ministry reported.

Wang purportedly convinced his wife, identified only as Zhou, to also gather intelligence for British operations. Both were said to be employed in “core” departments of a Chinese state agency.

Spy vs spy

These arrests are part of a pattern of high-level espionage charges exchanged between China and the UK, as well as other European nations.

Earlier in January, China claimed it had exposed a spy plot involving MI6.

In April, the UK indicted two British citizens for sharing information with China and violating the Official Secrets Act from late 2021 to February 2023.

On the same day, Germany announced it had detained three Germans for allegedly transferring technology with potential military uses to China. The following day, Germany also arrested an aide to a far-right European Parliament member on charges of spying for China.

Last month, the UK charged three men with gathering sensitive information for Hong Kong’s intelligence services. One of them, Briton Matthew Trickett, 37, was later found dead under mysterious circumstances, according to police.

China’s Ministry of State Security, which serves as both the intelligence and secret police agency, has ramped up warnings to Chinese citizens to avoid becoming targets of foreign espionage.

These alerts have extended to everyday aspects of life, with aviation enthusiasts being warned against being recruited as “volunteers” who transmit flight data out of China.