Meticulous planning and a deep understanding of a target’s emotions and weaknesses are some of the ingredients that go into a successful honey trap, says one security commentator.
Paul Johnstone, a security expert and former agent of the Australian Federal Police, lifts the lid on how CCP spies deploy “sexploitation” or honey traps (also called honeypots) to ensnare Western leaders.
His comments come in the wake of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s admission of an affair with alleged Chinese spy, Alice Huang (of no relation), who supposedly worked in tech, finance, and media—although Johnstone suspects these are just cover stories.
The issue has brought the tactic of “honey trapping” into the global spotlight and elevated concerns about what kind of technology or intelligence Jensen Huang’s affair may have leaked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Nvidia is the world’s leading developer and producer of advanced computer chips.
The Nvidia logo is seen during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) at the Shanghai World Expo and Convention Center in Shanghai on July 28, 2025. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
Johnstone is currently authoring a book on the strategy called “Red Honey,” which details his own encounters with attempted honey pots.
He says the Nvidia case reveals just how meticulous the CCP is.
“When you think about it, if they had put a young 27 or 30-year-old attractive woman to be the actual honey trap, that would have set off alarm bells,” Johnstone told The Epoch Times.
“[Huang] may have had advisers close to him say, ‘Hey, think about the impact. It’s a young woman. You’re an older man,’” Johnstone said.
The Afghanistan War veteran said the lady was closer to Jensen Huang’s age, meaning she would have been better able to connect with him on a personal level. It also suggests long-term planning before Alice Huang got close to her target.
A screengrab from CTI video footage obtained Nov. 9, 2026 shows a woman identified by Reuters as Alice Huang after comparison with a photograph obtained separately, attending a dinner with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (in black) at a restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan May 22, 2025. (CTI via Reuters)
He reveals one of the key pressure points is loneliness.
“When I advise clients, I ask: ‘Are you happy in your home?’ And that’s where it all starts,” Johnstone said.
“CEOs, it’s a very lonely job. It’s a very lonely existence that these people have because they’re working long hours. They’re traveling a lot. They may have a wife and children at home,” Johnstone said.
“Maybe there’s no intimacy in that relationship. Maybe their relationship is kind of stale. Then all of a sudden, a very beautiful woman, maybe an articulate woman, a very intelligent woman, approaches that male,” he said.
Johnstone said the tech industry was a major target of the CCP with the analyst suspecting a “percentage” of workers have links to Beijing’s Ministry of State Security (MSS).
He also says countries like Australia should be wary.
“Even here in Australia, there will be people walking amongst us in the community who have been trained by Beijing and are here for a particular purpose,” Johnstone said. “Sometimes these assets, these spies, can be dormant for a long period of time before they’re activated.”
He says they wait until the right opportunity comes along to build a relationship with someone in politics or a high-value industry.
Jensen Huang is currently being investigated by the American FBI with three House committees asking the tech leader to provide testimony.
