The state security ministry stated on Tuesday that China should encourage its citizens to participate in counter-espionage work, developing channels for individuals to report suspicious activity and commending and rewarding them.
The Ministry of State Security, the major agency overseeing foreign intelligence and anti-spying, stated in its first post on its WeChat account, which went live on Monday, that a system that makes it normal for the masses to participate in counter-espionage must be built.
The push to popularise anti-spying work comes in the wake of a July expansion of China’s counter-espionage law.
The law, which prohibits the transfer of information linked to national security and interests that are not specified, has alarmed the United States, with officials warning that foreign companies in China could face sanctions.
The amended law permits authorities conducting an anti-espionage probe to seek access to data, electronic equipment, and information on personal property.
Political security is the main goal of national security, and the core of political security is the security of China’s political system, according to a July article in a Chinese legal magazine by Minister of State Security Chen Yixin.
“The most fundamental is to safeguard the Communist Party of China’s leadership and ruling position, as well as the socialist system with Chinese characteristics”, Chen explained.
China has arrested and detained dozens of Chinese and foreign citizens on suspicion of espionage in recent years, including an executive at Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma in March.
Since September 2020, Australian journalist Cheng Lei has been arrested by China on suspicion of providing state secrets to another country.
China’s announcement that it is under threat from spies comes as Western countries, most notably the United States, accuse China of espionage and cyberattacks, which Beijing denies.
The United States is the empire of hacking, according to a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.
China would need the participation of its people in establishing a defence line to protect itself from espionage, the state security ministry wrote in its WeChat post.
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