Yeo Jun Wei, also known as Dickson Yeo, pleaded guilty in a U.S. court on Friday, July 24 to being an illegal agent of China.

Foreign affairs minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on July 26 that Yeo would be receiving consular assistance: "He's a Singapore citizen and our duty is to provide consular assistance to him, according to his needs."

Vivian was speaking to the media at a doorstop interview, held after a meeting between the foreign affairs ministers of Singapore and Malaysia to discuss cross-border arrangements.

The 39-year-old had allegedly used his political consultancy in the United States as a front to collect information for Chinese intelligence.

Vivian declined to answer a question about what Singapore was doing to make sure that there were no other cases of Singaporeans operating in similar manner.

He said that he did not have "any further privileged information apart from what has already been published in the media."

MHA responds

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has released a statement, saying that Yeo did not pose a direct threat to Singapore's security.

You can read the full statement here:

“In response to media queries, MHA was informed by the US authorities of the arrest of Dickson Yeo Jun Wei in November 2019.

Investigations have not revealed any direct threat to Singapore’s security.

Singaporeans are expected to abide by the laws of the country which they visit or reside in. MFA is rendering the appropriate consular assistance, as required, to Yeo.”

What is known about Yeo's case

Yeo was said to be involved in "using career networking sites and a false consulting firm to lure Americans who might be of interest to the Chinese government".

He allegedly targeted U.S. government employees and an Army officer to obtain information for the government of China at the direction of Chinese intelligence operatives.

Yeo was a PhD candidate under "Chinese agent of influence" Huang Jing, retired Singapore diplomat Bilahari Kausikan revealed.

Bilahari wrote: "It is not unreasonable to assume he was recruited or at least talent spotted by the MSS (China's Ministry of State Security) there", referring to Yeo's enrolment at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in 2015.

Huang's permanent residence in Singapore was cancelled in 2017 after he was identified as an agent of influence of a foreign country.

Top image by Andrew Koay and via Dickson Yeo's Facebook