China tried to spy on civil servant by hiding a listening device in a teapot

CHINA tried to spy on a civil servant by hiding a listening device in a teapot.

The eavesdropping kit was stashed in a gift.

Alamy

China tried to spy on high-ranking British civil servants by hiding a spy device in a teapot[/caption]

The UK Beijing embassy worker only found the bug when the pot smashed — exposing the 007-style trick.

An insider said: “They were given a tea set as a parting gift by their Chinese hosts.

“They thought this was very lovely and took the tea set home with them to Britain.

“Whenever they were having a Chinese meal they would get this tea set out and use it. One day, they were doing the washing up and accidentally knocked the teapot over and it smashed on the floor.

“They bent over to pick up the pieces and discovered a recording device in it.”

The bug is not thought to have picked up any secret or sensitive information.

But it shows the lengths China goes in its desire to steal secrets.

Beijing’s espionage tactics also came under the spotlight as a senior parliamentary aide was arrested for allegedly spying for the regime.

The man, who The Sun is not naming, denies the allegations.