In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party’s national security department, which has been unusually high-profile, recently exposed a scandal where its public officials stationed overseas were arrested for soliciting prostitutes and were alleged to have been turned into spies. Analysts believe that this incident coincides with a series of scandals in recent years involving the CCP’s diplomatic system.
According to the Chinese media outlet “New Yellow River” on March 13th, the CCP’s National Security Department recently uncovered a case of a public official from a certain CCP organization stationed abroad being manipulated by a foreign spy intelligence agency.
During his tenure abroad, the public official Zhang, who was stationed at an overseas institution, got acquainted with a member of a foreign entrepreneur association named Li at a banquet, and as they interacted, the two became increasingly familiar. Under the command of the foreign spy intelligence agency, Li, setting a trap based on Zhang’s interest in “special entertainment venues,” managed to have Zhang caught by local law enforcement for soliciting prostitution.
Under coercion and inducement from the other side, Zhang agreed to “cooperate,” providing the foreign spy intelligence agency with a large amount of sensitive information from within the CCP, and receiving substantial funds from them, among other things. Zhang was arrested upon returning to China.
The report did not disclose the name of the unit where Zhang originally worked, nor did it mention which country the incident took place in.
Public data shows that the CCP has a large number of institutions abroad, including those responsible for economic, trade, cultural, health, and military exchanges. The main entities are the overseas embassies.
Political commentator Li Lin told Epoch Times that the formerly secretive CCP National Security Department is now in the spotlight, intervening in foreign affairs, economics, anti-corruption, etc., and frequently revealing some spy cases. However, many are deemed to be fabrications, with some details possibly being invented. The story of Zhang falling into a trap of seduction and becoming a spy, as brought up this time, might also be old news. Nevertheless, this also serves as evidence of the extreme debauchery within the CCP’s diplomatic system.
The CCP’s diplomatic system, spanning both internal and external affairs, operates in various gray areas. Within the system, officials from China proper and overseas embassies frequently violate diplomatic protocols, break local laws, and engage in reckless behavior, particularly in terms of sexual misconduct, which has a significantly negative impact on the international community. Previously exposed cases include two diplomats named Zhang.
In November 2019, China’s state-run CCTV exposed a senior official from a certain ministry who was stationed in a foreign country, Zhang Xiangbin, for his complicated relationships with women, involvement in multiple instances of soliciting prostitutes, having numerous foreign mistresses, and fathering two illegitimate children with a local government female official.
On January 2, 2015, then Assistant Minister of the CCP Foreign Ministry Zhang Kunsheng was investigated for bribery and involvement in sex-for-power transactions, though official statements did not specify the details of the sexual transactions.
Regarding the issue of Zhang Kunsheng’s involvement in sex-for-power transactions, several versions have been circulated. Renowned mainland Chinese blogger “Imperial City Soldier” claimed that Zhang Kunsheng oversaw affairs in the Latin American region and protocol work, frequently appearing in public and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle. Despite his wife being a renowned badminton player with good looks, he could not resist extramarital affairs, and there were even rumors of adultery. There were also rumors that Zhang Kunsheng was caught meeting with foreign officials in China, and engaging in revelry at private clubs.
According to South Korean JTBC TV report, on February 23, 2016, three confirmed Chinese diplomats stationed in South Korea were publicly accused by local women of acting inappropriately at a restaurant in Myeongdong, blatantly engaging in lewd acts in a public place, sparking outrage among South Korean citizens.
In July 2023, former Foreign Ministry Minister Qin Gang, who was dismissed, was also embroiled in a sex scandal. Rumors circulated that he had an affair with a female television host after an interview, leading to them having an illegitimate child. This incident then led to an additional espionage investigation involving the female host, implicating Qin Gang in another case.
Similarly, Shen Guofang, who served as a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, was abruptly dismissed on December 28, 2005, and the next day was confirmed to have been demoted to the chief editor of a publishing house under the CCP Foreign Ministry. The reasons for his demotion mainly pointed to sexual misconduct, with rumors circulating about a “female interpreter within the ministry” and versions involving a “Taiwanese female spy” or “domestic female journalist.”