BEIJING, China — A former engineer, identified only as Liu, has been sentenced to death for selling classified material to foreign spy agencies, China’s Ministry of State Security reported Wednesday. Liu, who left a research institute, saved sensitive data before resigning, planning to use it for revenge after feeling mistreated, the ministry said.
After joining an investment firm and facing debt from failed ventures, Liu sold the material to a foreign agency at a low price, according to the report. The agency later cut ties, prompting Liu to travel to multiple countries over six months, leaking more secrets. He confessed after his arrest and lost all political rights.
China’s government has warned of rising foreign espionage targeting its citizens. Last year, another ex-state worker received a death sentence for similar charges, and Australian writer Yang Hengjun got a suspended death penalty for espionage.
