The Facts

• Chinese has said that a former government employee — identified by the surname Zhang, once "a core confidential personnel of a state agency" — has been sentenced to death for leaking "a large number of top secret and classified state secrets to foreign intelligence agencies.”

• In a WeChat post, the Chinese Ministry of State Security Wednesday said Zhang had access to "a large number of state secrets," which he leaked using a USB drive. The ministry dubbed the former state employee "weak in character" and unable to "resist the temptation of money."

• The ministry also said that foreign agencies, which it did not identify, had recruited Zhang after he had left his official position. In September, it had reportedly warned students with access to sensitive information of “handsome men” or “beautiful women” trying to lure them.