Mobilising 1.4B Chinese for Counter-Espionage

China will mobilise its population for counter-espionage

China trusts no one and now is mobilising its 1.4 billion citizens to help inform on any suspicious activities in the country.

The state security ministry has announced it is encouraging Chinese citizens to engage in counter-espionage work, and will be opening up channels for them to report on any nefarious activities, and even rewarding them, though there were no details reported on the compensation.

According to the Ministry of State Security, the main agency overlooking foreign intelligence and anti-spying, said it will become "normal" for the masses to participate in counter-espionage.

Chen says political security top priority

This call-out for the population to participate follows the expansion of the counter-espionage law that took effect in July.

The law bans the transfer of information related to national security and interests which is vaguely described; the United States is alarmed by this development, as foreign companies in China could be punished by doing regular business activities.

With the new law, the authorities can carry out an anti-espionage probe to gain access to data, electronic equipment and information on personal property.

Political security is the top priority of national security, according to Chen Yixin, Minister of State Security.

"The most fundamental is to safeguard the leadership and ruling position of the Communist Party of China and the socialist system with Chinese characteristics," he wrote in an article in a Chinese legal magazine in July.

But is there espionage happening in China?

This latest development will make foreign companies based in China think again if they want to continue having a presence there, or risk being accused of espionage and face heavy penalties.

Is that a risk worth considering anymore?

Over the years many foreigners have been detained for alleged espionage, including an executive of a Japanese drugmaker called Astellas Pharma in March.

In addition. Australian-Chinese journalist Cheng Lei was accused by China of providing state secrets to another country. She has been detained since September 2020.

This move falls in line with the Hong Kong government (via Beijing) to get anyone to inform on the eight pro-democracy activists and former lawmakers who have HK$1 million bounties on their heads. 

While some of the eight are publicly defiant as they live in countries where the extradition agreement has been indefinitely suspended, there is the possibility of misguided patriots who may think they are doing the right thing...