China warns citizens against 'exotic beauty' traps of foreign spies

China has waned its citizens against "exotic beauties" seeking to lure them into the hands of foreign spy agencies.

The Ministry of State Security said a Chinese man, Li Si, went to a nightclub while on an overseas trip and was later blackmailed by foreign spies.

The ministry's WeChat post's title read, "Hunting for beauty? You may become the prey".

Analysts say such warnings reflect a sense of insecurity among China's leaders.

The Ministry of State Security, which functions as China's intelligence and secret police agency, has increasingly been raising the alarm among citizens about the dangers of foreign spies.

The ministry has also been making public the cases of people being arrested for espionage in China. Earlier this month, the ministry said Beijing had detained an individual alleged to be spying for Britain's foreign intelligence service, MI6.

"I do not think honey traps are any more prevalent now than at other points in time. Part of espionage work has always exploited human weaknesses, be it greed, lust, pride, vanity, anger, disappointment or such," Ian Chong, a non-resident fellow with Carnegie China, told the BBC.

"To me, the Ministry of State Security's media campaign and the recent highlighting of risks relating to honey traps are more reflective of a sense of insecurity and threat, particularly from the outside world, that the current Chinese leadership appears to perceive," Mr Chong said.

The most recent warning, which went into graphic detail, said that a local tour guide invited Mr Li to an adult entertainment venue and invited him to "pick" several women for the night. It did not specify when and where the incident took place.

Mr Li, who supposedly works for a state-owned firm, did not know that his