April 15 this year marks the ninth National Security Education Day. The Global Times reporter observed that around April 15 this year, the cases disclosed by the state security organs involved a wider range of cases than in previous years, and the methods were more hidden. In addition to the traditional areas of national security, emerging fields such as energy, food, and meteorology, which are related to the national economy, people's livelihood, and future development, have also become the focus of foreign espionage and intelligence agencies.
In an interview with the Global Times, an expert on national security issues said that the great power game has been contested from multiple dimensions, and it is not only the duty of the state security organs but also the obligation of the broad masses of the people to defend national security. Citizens need to continue to learn legal knowledge, enhance security awareness, and jointly build a "safety net" to safeguard national interests.
From food to energy, focus on key areas
"The one who grains is the life of all the people and the treasure of the country. "Food security is related to the national economy and people's livelihood and is an important part of national security. However, in recent years, foreign espionage and intelligence agencies have continued to intensify their penetration into the mainland's grain sector and wantonly steal China's core scientific research information, causing significant harm to the core competitiveness of the mainland's rice seed industry and food security.
The "Global Times" reporter learned that in response to this outstanding enemy situation, the state security organs took the initiative to crack a series of espionage and theft cases from 2022 to 2023, investigated and reviewed nearly 100 people involved in the case in accordance with the law, investigated and dealt with 11 key enterprises involved in the case, and investigated the criminal responsibility of relevant personnel in accordance with the law.
Zhu Moumou, male, born in 1964, is the former general manager of an agricultural technology company. The state security organs ascertained that Zhu had established a "cooperative" relationship with a company set up by a foreign espionage and intelligence agency in China. In order to reap personal economic interests, Zhu Moumou asked the other party to "not refuse to come", and in the name of "cooperative seed production", he successively sold five kinds of parental rice seeds to the other party in violation of regulations, and obtained a return that exceeded the normal selling price.
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During this period, Zhu Moumou repeatedly mentioned to related parties that "selling seeds abroad is an illegal act and may be sentenced, and this matter must be kept secret", which shows that he has a clear understanding of the nature of his behavior and obvious subjective malice. In order to further expand the "business scope", Zhu Moumou founded an agricultural technology company and began to sell a large number of my high-quality parental rice seeds abroad. In January 2024, the Intermediate People's Court of Hefei City, Anhui Province, sentenced Zhu Moumou to 1 year and 6 months in prison for the crime of illegally providing intelligence abroad.
In addition, the state security organs also imposed administrative penalties on the remaining 17 subjects involved in the case in accordance with the law, and thoroughly investigated the enterprises involved in the case, and further found out that some domestic seed enterprises had been lawlessly seeking profits for a long time and continued to illegally sell a large number of China's various high-quality seed sources abroad, effectively eliminating major potential safety hazards in China's grain field.
With the global energy transition, critical minerals have become a new field of strategic competition among the world's major powers. Rare earths are known as "industrial vitamins" and play an irreplaceable role in many key fields, which makes foreign forces continue to increase their efforts to spy on the state secrets of the mainland rare earth industry. In March 2023, the state security organs cracked the case of illegal collection and theft of state secrets in the field of rare earths by an overseas non-ferrous metal company, and took compulsory measures against the persons involved in the case, Ye Moumou and Cheng Moumou, in accordance with the law.
Ye Moumou, female, born in 1977, Chinese nationality, employee of the Shanghai subsidiary of an overseas non-ferrous metal company. Cheng, male, born in 1975, is the deputy general manager of a rare earth company in China. After investigation, in 2017, Ye Moumou met Cheng Moumou in business cooperation. The foreign employee of an overseas non-ferrous metal company where he worked instructed Ye Moumou to provide monetary remuneration as a bait and privately asked Cheng for information such as the details of our rare earth purchase and storage, and the directive plan. Knowing that the relevant content was strictly forbidden to be provided to the outside world, Cheng still sent the categories, quantities, and prices of mainland rare earth storage that he had mastered to Ye Moumou for personal gain, and received a large amount of remuneration from the other party.
According to the appraisal of the state secrets department, the content provided by Cheng to the overseas involved 7 classified state secrets. The facts of the case are clear, the evidence is conclusive, and the suspect confessed to the facts of the crime. In November 2023, the Intermediate People's Court of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, sentenced Ye Moumou to 11 years in prison, deprivation of political rights for two years, and confiscation of personal property of RMB 500,000 for the crime of illegally providing state secrets abroad and accepting bribes, and sentenced Cheng to 11 years and 6 months in prison, deprivation of political rights for 2 years, confiscation of personal property of RMB 900,000, and a fine of RMB 100,000 for the crime of illegally providing state secrets abroad and accepting bribes.
Li Wei, a researcher at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations and an expert on security issues, said in an interview with the Global Times that the current competition in the international community is becoming increasingly fierce, and the game of great powers is no longer limited to the traditional military, diplomatic and other fields, but is contested in multiple dimensions. Food security is the foundation of national security, and rare earths and other critical minerals are strategic resources for the development of new productive forces.
Stealing weather data, or endangering military security
It is worth noting that foreign institutions have illegally stepped up the collection of China's meteorological data. According to the "Global Times" reporter, since 2023, the state security organs, together with the meteorological and confidentiality departments, have carried out special governance of foreign-related meteorological detection nationwide in accordance with the law, investigated more than 10 overseas meteorological equipment agents, inspected more than 3,000 foreign-related meteorological stations, and found that hundreds of illegal foreign-related meteorological detection stations transmitted meteorological data abroad in real time, which were widely distributed in more than 20 provinces across the country, causing risks and hidden dangers to the safety of mainland countries.
According to an informed source, some of these illegal foreign-related meteorological detection sites are directly funded by foreign governments, and some observation points are set up in the vicinity of military units, military industrial enterprises, and other sensitive places for altitude approval and GPS positioning; some have set up observation points in China's major grain-producing areas to correlate and analyze China's crop growth and grain output; and some have even transmitted them to foreign official meteorological agencies in real time for a long time, at high frequency, and at multiple points, so as to serve foreign homeland security and meteorological monitoring.
The related equipment is small in size, easy to install, not easy to find, and can be automatically collected and transmitted to the network in real time. Relevant foreign-related meteorological detection activities, without applying for an administrative license for foreign-related meteorological detection from the meteorological authority, failing to transfer meteorological data to the meteorological authority, and transmitting meteorological data abroad without the approval of the meteorological authority, in violation of the "Measures for the Management of Foreign-related Meteorological Detection and Data", "Data Security Law" and other relevant provisions. The state security organs, in conjunction with the meteorological and secrecy departments, are to investigate and deal with relevant illegal activities in accordance with the law, and promptly block illegal acts of exporting meteorological data.
"Meteorological data is extremely important for every country. Li Wei told the Global Times, "Using a country's meteorological data can predict the country's future basic development trend in industries such as agriculture." According to another security expert, he told the Global Times that meteorological data has important strategic value in military operations as can be seen from the allusion of "straw boats borrowing arrows". Once a country's meteorological and hydrological characteristics are leaked, it will pose a potential threat to its military security.
Foreign forces have been looking for people in China for a long time, and the public must be more vigilant
In addition to expanding the scope of intelligence collection and intensifying the theft of secrets, the inherent tricks of foreign espionage and intelligence agencies are still continuing. In recent years, foreign anti-China hostile forces have used the Internet and other channels to wantonly carry out ideological "warfare" against people in China, distort and hype up hot incidents in China, and attack and slander China's political system. A small number of young students who have not been deeply involved in the world have been instigated and bewitched, accidentally fallen into traps, and have been coerced into participating in hostile activities, becoming "pawns" of anti-China hostile forces abroad.
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The Global Times has learned that the state security organs recently successfully cracked a typical case of an overseas anti-China political party soliciting students from a certain university to participate in activities, effectively cracking down on the infiltration and counter-terrorism activities of foreign anti-China forces, and eliminating risks and hidden dangers in a timely manner. In the grasp of the work of the state security organs, Song, a student at a certain university in China, signed up online to become a volunteer of an anti-China political party abroad out of curiosity, and received instructions from the core members of the organization on the party's political platform, participation in anti-China activities, canvassing and fundraising, and other instructions. Song also browsed overseas anti-China websites for a long time, and provided negative China-related video materials for relevant websites.
In July 2023, on the basis of careful investigation and fixed evidence, the state security organs conducted an administrative inquiry of Song in accordance with the law, and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Counter-espionage Law of the People's Republic of China", gave Song a warning and issued an administrative punishment decision. After criticism and education, Song expressed sincere remorse for his actions and promised not to engage in similar activities in the future.
It is the legal obligation of every citizen to consciously safeguard national security. Those who deliberately obstruct state security organs from carrying out their tasks in accordance with the law will be held legally responsible. Recently, the state security organs imposed an administrative punishment on the Chinese employees of a foreign agency in China for deliberately obstructing the state security organs from carrying out their tasks in accordance with the law.
The Global Times reporter learned that Fu, a Chinese employee of a foreign agency in China, refused to go to a designated place for questioning during the investigation and questioning by the state security organs in accordance with the law, disseminated information about being interviewed by the state security organs to unrelated persons, colluded with foreign personnel to interfere with the law enforcement of the state security organs, and deliberately obstructed the state security organs from carrying out their tasks in accordance with the law. Cadres and police officers of state security organs are to give him an administrative punishment of 15 days of administrative detention in accordance with law on the basis of the relevant provisions of the "Counter-espionage Law of the People's Republic of China" to fix evidence of intentional obstruction of law enforcement through law enforcement recorders.
"Foreign forces are trying to 'lay a long line and catch a big fish' and have been looking for people at home and abroad for a long time who can be used for their purposes, posing a serious threat to the mainland's national security. Li Wei said: Countering espionage and safeguarding national security is not only the duty of the state security organs, but also the obligation of the broad masses of the people to safeguard their own interests. Citizens need to continue to learn legal knowledge, enhance security awareness, and jointly build a "safety net" to safeguard national interests. He believes that relevant departments can strengthen routine knowledge education in primary and secondary schools and university classrooms to enhance the national security awareness of the whole people. At the same time, the public should also actively cooperate with the work of the state security organs and jointly build a strong people's defense line for national security.