 "Chinese soldiers, China military")
Imagine finding books containing material related to China's military at a recycling station and buying them for less than $1. Such a thing was seen in China when the Ministry of State Security, China's intelligence agency, had to caution against the mishandling of classified data and informed people about its anti-espionage legislation. This comes in light of an incident wherein materials linked to the military were discovered to have been traded by a recycling facility, according to a report in the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
On Thursday, the spy agency shared the story of an individual named Zhang on its official WeChat account.
According to the report, Zhang purchased four books from a waste recycling station. Subsequently, it was discovered that these books were classified materials sold to the station by military personnel who failed to adhere to the protocols for disposing of sensitive items.
Zhang, who retired from a state-owned enterprise, came across military-themed books at the recycling station. He purchased four of them for six yuan ($0.83). However, upon closer inspection, Zhang noticed markings on the books indicating they were labelled "confidential" and "secret." He then reported the matter and surrendered the books, the report stated.
The report said that the ministry, during the investigation, found that two individuals named Guo and Li, affiliated with a military unit and "involved in classified information," were responsible for selling the materials to the recycling station. The duo had “weak awareness of information security” and did not follow the procedures required to destroy classified documents, the report said, citing an article published as part of the ministry’s campaign on China’s anti-espionage law.
They sold over 200 classified items weighing more than 30 kg for approximately 20 yuan, the report said.
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The report further said that the Chinese intelligence agency has offered guidance to relevant units to “promptly plug the gaps in the management of information security.”
The ministry further said that the amended law called for enhanced oversight of information and confidential materials. This amended law, which came into effect last July, extended the scope of espionage.
Additionally, the ministry referenced the updated legislation concerning the protection of state secrets in the country. According to this revised law, activities such as creating, receiving, transferring, using, duplicating, storing, maintaining, and disposing of items containing state secrets must adhere to relevant regulations.
The revised law, which became effective last month, introduced more than a dozen provisions aimed at broadening and deepening its coverage, the report said.
