A man from Qingdao is being held on espionage charges and is awaiting trial for allegedly selling sensitive photos to a known spy.

Media reveals aircraft carrier base spying case

The man, surnamed Cao, has been caught allegedly taking photos of China's aircraft carrier base and selling them to a foreign national.

He's accused of taking the photos for a man who claimed to be the editor of a military magazine, and was reportedly paid "a large sum of cash".

Chinese authorities say the would-be editor is actually a known spy they've been tracking for a long time.

Authorities have not said where the suspected spy is from.