Chinese authorities warn people, especially netizens, against individuals or organizations recruiting online and offering money in exchange for confidential information. (Photo : REUTERS)
A number espionage cases involving Chinese soldiers and civilians enticed by foreign spy agencies into stealing sensitive information have been reported by the provincial government of Guangdong.
The Global Times reported that these cases were displayed in an exhibition held by Guangdong provincial authorities in Guangzhou on Wednesday, March 2, which showed that overseas espionage agents are using the Internet to gather intelligence and provoke people to defect.
According to authorities, espionage agents lured some Chinese to betray their country by posting recruitment advertisements online and offering big rewards for information.
The report cited the case of Tang who used to be an auxiliary police officer and a delivery man at a Guangdong military troop's service department in 2009.
It was discovered in 2011 that Tang had been in contact with overseas agents since 2005, via phone and the Internet. The report said that Tang had gone to Malaysia to undergo training as well as accept missions.
When he came back to China, Tang worked with the service department for six year and recruited several soldiers to work for him in espionage.
The report said that Tang formed an information network which provided data on military schedules and maneuvers to foreign spies and was rewarded with over 200,000 yuan ($31,000).
According to the troop's secrecy department, Tang sent 17 confidential files to espionage agents, including one that was classified as "top secret."
Tang was sentenced by the Intermediate People's Court of Foshan, Guangdong, to 15 years in prison and was deprived of his political rights for five years, which means he cannot vote, demonstrate, hold an official post or lead a state-owned organization.
Another case was that of Chen, a 20-year-old employee of a shipping company in Guangzhou. According to the report, Chen was contacted in 2013 by a Web user named "BILLLEE" through a QQ group that Chen established. BILLLEE reportedly offered Chen a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan, in exchange for sensitive documents about the shipyard he worked at, including the pictures of the surrounding warships and waters.
In 2014, on suspicion of espionage, Chen was transferred by the local national security bureau to prosecutors.
The report also cited the case of Zeng, from Ganzhou in Jiangxi Province. He worked in several clothing factories in Shantou, Guangdong, from 1994 onward. In 2010, he agreed to collect military information for intelligence agencies after he lost his job. He recruited other people to do the same in Guangdong and Hainan provinces. Zeng reportedly received over 200,000 yuan from these agents.
Zeng was later sentenced to 13 years in prison, the report said.
Security authorities of Jiangsu Province had busted three espionage cases in May 2015, in which two suspects, who only had junior high school diplomas, were recruited while looking for jobs online.
The PLA Daily reported in April that aside from ex-servicemen and those with a keen interest in military matters, the people most likely to be recruited by overseas agencies are overseas students, university staff members and students, as well as government employees and research fellows.
Experts warned netizens against getting paid for taking "only a few photos," which they do not even realize could be an act of leaking state secrets.
To prevent Chinese citizens from conducting espionage activities, counter-espionage hotlines were launched in 2015 by the security authorities of Jilin and Hainan provinces, through which citizens and organizations can report suspected espionage.
