Source: Global Times - Global Network
This year marks the seventh anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the "Counter-Espionage Law of the People's Republic of China." In the past seven years, the national security legal system led by the National Security Law has been gradually improved, and a number of laws, such as the Counter-Terrorism Law, the Foreign NGO Activities Management Law, the Cybersecurity Law, the Nuclear Security Law, the Biosecurity Law, and the Data Security Law, have been promulgated one after another, providing a solid legal guarantee for safeguarding national security in various fields.
With the continuous improvement of China's comprehensive national strength, the acts of foreign espionage and intelligence organs and other forces endangering China's national security are no longer limited to the traditional security field, and the situation of non-traditional security enemies has become more and more prominent, which has brought hidden risks to the stable development of China's economic and social security. In recent years, state security organs have adhered to the overall national security concept as the guide, coordinated traditional and non-traditional security, and successively cracked a large number of key cases in non-traditional fields, eliminating many practical and potential hazards.
The Global Times reporter recently learned from the state security organs that in recent years, a marine public welfare organization has accepted funding from foreign non-governmental organizations to set up marine litter monitoring points in China to collect sensitive data such as marine monitoring data and provide them abroad. Before being disposed of by the state security organs in accordance with the law in 2021, the organization basically covered China's coastline from north to south in China, radiating China's South China Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and Bohai Sea areas, of which 22 monitoring points were close to military targets, directly threatening China's military security.
"Research Report" released by the marine non-profit organization
A marine public welfare organization has set up a marine debris monitoring point in China, which basically covers China's coastline
The Global Times reporter learned that in June 2019, the state security organs received reports from the masses, who learned during a marine public welfare forum that a marine public welfare organization set up marine monitoring points in coastal cities in China to collect marine monitoring data. The person in charge of the organization told the relevant personnel of the monitoring points that "all monitoring data is officially collected and used", and in the name of "the relevant departments of the state need data", the local monitoring points were required to report "monitoring data" to the organization every two months through the Internet. The state security organs verified and found that the relevant departments had never accepted the data and information provided by the relevant organizations. Accordingly, the State security agencies launched an investigation into the relevant situation.
The marine public welfare organization carries out marine litter collection activities
It is worth noting that the organization has a complex foreign background and has continued to receive funding from more than 20 foreign institutions since 2014. From 2018 to 2019 alone, more than two million yuan of overseas funds were accepted, of which only one fund was filed with the relevant departments.
After receiving overseas funds, what exactly did the marine public welfare organization do? The Global Times reporter learned from the state security organs that according to the process formulated by an overseas research institution, the organization set up marine litter monitoring points in China's coastal areas to collect information such as garbage type, weight, distribution density, etc., and formed and released China's marine garbage map and research report. The organization asked other partner organizations to carry out beach garbage monitoring activities every two months at selected monitoring points and to provide funding of 1,000 yuan per monitoring activity.
The Global Times reporter learned from the state security organs that before the state security organs disposed of the organization in accordance with the law in 2021, the monitoring points it had set up in China had basically covered China's coastline from north to south, radiating China's South China Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and Bohai Sea area.
Sensitive data was provided overseas, and a military port was visible to the naked eye across from a monitoring point in Shanghai
How were the locations of these marine debris monitoring sites selected? According to the investigation of the state security organs, the organization asked the cooperating agencies to submit detailed data such as latitude and longitude, geographical location, geomorphological and hydrological, and on-site photos of the alternative monitoring points in accordance with their work requirements (monitoring points need to be on beaches that have not been cleaned up). The organization according to the above information to determine the monitoring point, and sent people to the monitoring point field investigation, and even designated a specific monitoring point, the Global Times reporter learned that some of the monitoring points close to the military target is selected by the organization, for example, a certain monitoring point in Shanghai opposite a military port, in the surrounding has been fenced in the case, the organization will still choose to bypass the beach to enter the monitoring point to carry out activities.
The organization requires cooperating agencies to submit detailed data such as latitude and longitude and geographic information when selecting monitoring points
What data are available from these marine litter monitoring points along our coastline? The Global Times learned that the organization distributed tools such as rice rulers, gloves, monitoring forms, record sheets, electronic scales, photographic equipment, and GPS positioning equipment to cooperative institutions. In April 2018, the organization conducted a survey of garbage and marine trawling data at various locations in Shanghai to collect information on latitude and longitude, environment, geology, and ocean flow. Since December 2020, the organization has requested that ocean tides and beach slope data be collected and reported.
The Global Times reporter learned that these sensitive data were directly provided to relevant overseas institutions. In April 2019, researchers in one country emailed the organization asking for data. Subsequently, the organization's research institute sent scanned copies of questionnaires and pictures of the scene to each other through email.
The leakage of marine data threatens China's military security, and the so-called monitoring report smears China's environmental protection
The harm caused by the leakage of sensitive data and information is first reflected in military security. State security organ case-handling personnel told the Global Times reporter that the Navy's assessment believes that the 22 military-related monitoring points set up by the organization have posed a real threat to China's maritime military security. The information it collects, such as latitude and longitude, environment, geology, and ocean flow, is extremely easy to be used by foreign intelligence and military agencies, posing a potential threat to China.
In February, a research institute in one country published a "scientific research article" falsely claiming that the density of garbage along shanghai's coastline was 10 times that of Australia and the United States
In addition to military threats, the organization's coastal monitoring activities methods, scientific nature in the implementation process, data reliability, etc. have not been authoritatively verified and recognized. The selected points for monitoring are mostly located in places where the amount of garbage is much higher than the average amount of garbage on the coastline, deliberately ignoring the coast with little human activity and good environmental conditions, and using this as a base to simply multiply the length of the coastline to obtain the so-called overall situation of marine litter in China, which is a typical behavior of wearing "colored glasses" to conduct investigations.
In the "monitoring report" released by the organization, it is declared that "the amount of garbage detected and the weight density are 20 times and 8 times the data released by China's official, respectively." Relevant data is used by people with ulterior motives abroad to smear and hype China's environmental protection cause, which has a negative impact on China's international image.
"The selection points cannot be artificially traced inside, and should be randomly selected." Its investigation has undermined the principle of equalization. "Relevant marine experts told the Global Times that because the agency only chooses places with more garbage to sample, the data may be overestimated many times and misleading." 10 times and 20 times higher than the actual situation, which is equivalent to seeing only one thing in a field of view, but the data display has become seeing 10 or 20 things, which is a completely subversive concept. ”
The Global Times reporter learned from the state security organs that the establishment of 22 military-related monitoring points by the organization has posed a real threat to military security, and according to article 39 of the Counter-Espionage Law and Article 8 of the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Counter-Espionage Law, its relevant acts are "acts endangering national security other than espionage acts." The organization's acceptance of foreign NGOs funding to carry out activities in China has violated article 46 of the Law on the Administration of Foreign NGOs' Domestic Activities, which stipulates that "where units and individuals within the territory of China know that foreign NGOs have not registered a representative office or have not filed temporary activities, cooperate with them, or accept their entrustment or funding, or act as agents or covert agents for their activities or carry out the receipt and payment of funds for project activities, they shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph." ”
When a monitoring point near a military installation has been fenced and the gate is locked, the organization will still have people bypass the tidal flats to reach the site for monitoring activities
State security organ case-handling personnel told the Global Times that in accordance with the provisions of Articles 13 and 39 of the Counter-Espionage Law, the organization was ordered to carry out rectification, shut down 22 military-related monitoring points, and eliminate adverse effects. In accordance with the provisions of Articles 36 and 39 of the Counter-Espionage Law and Articles 19 and 25 of the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Counter-Espionage Law, the organization was punished with "confiscation of illegal gains" and "warnings".
"The state security organs will adhere to the overall national security concept as the guide, resolutely crack down on the infiltration and theft of secrets by foreign forces and their domestic agencies in the marine, environmental protection and other fields in accordance with the law, and actively prevent and resolve risks and effectively safeguard national security." At the same time, the case-handling personnel of state security organs reminded that it is necessary to strengthen the awareness of law and national security, carry out activities in strict accordance with laws and regulations, and must not cross the legal red line. Relevant organizational personnel should prevent them from being co-opted in and exploited by organizational personnel with ulterior motives abroad.