Beijing said Thursday it was verifying information on a Chinese father and son who were detained by Ukraine for allegedly spying on its prized Neptune anti-ship missile program.
The weapon is a key part of Kyiv's growing domestic arms industry, critical to its defense against Russian invaders.
The announcement by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) follows recent assertions by Kyiv that Beijing, which has sought to project an image of neutrality, is aiding the Kremlin's war effort.
Counterintelligence officials arrested a 24-year-old former student in Kyiv after they provided him with "technical documentation" related to Neptune production, it said in a statement.
They later detained his father, who had aimed to smuggle out the documents to the Chinese special services, the SBU said. The father had been living in China but visited Ukraine to "personally coordinate" his son's work, the agency said.
