Retired spies have been given an urgent warning not to go to China on their holidays, we can reveal.
Hundreds of ex-agents opened letters from MI6 top brass telling them not to go there – or Russia – for business or pleasure.
It warns Chinese spies are “aggressively” targeting British spooks and their families.
And anyone with travel plans was urged to ring a special hotline.
Sources said China’s tactics include the offer of sex and theft via cybercrime in a bid to obtain UK secrets.
An insider added: “There are real concerns about people ending up in compromising situations – even if they are travelling for the most innocent reasons.”
It comes days after MI6 chief Richard Moore warned last week China was conducting “large-scale espionage operations against the UK”.
The letter says: “The Chinese service are becoming increasingly proactive and aggressive in approaching former members of HMG, including security and intelligence agencies.
“We advise former staff to avoid travel there for business or other reasons.”
Last year Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, also warned of the threat by China.
He said while Beijing’s espionage efforts typically take the form of “hacking commercially sensitive information or data, and intellectual property”, UK spies have also detected attempts by Chinese counterparts to influence politics.
He added: “The national security challenges presented by Russian, Chinese, Iranian and other actors are growing in severity and in complexity.
"We face a nasty mix – terrorism isn’t going away, and state-backed hostile activity is on the rise.”
