Beware of foreign spies on job and dating websites, China warns public
- State media reports offer some examples of the vaguely defined category of state secrets
- The focus of National Security Education Day is on ensuring the success of the Communist Party’s national congress this year
When a Beijing restaurant manager was approached by Chinese national security authorities last year, he had no clue about the seriousness of an ongoing investigation involving his workplace.
He then told others about the probe, ignoring forewarnings about his secrecy obligations.
It was not until he was later arrested and then detained for 15 days that the manager realised he had violated China’s anti-espionage law by allegedly divulging state secrets and jeopardising the investigation, state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday.
The case was one of a number highlighted in state-controlled media over the weekend as part of the country’s seventh National Security Education Day on Friday, an event that this year focused on ensuring the success of the Communist Party’s twice-a-decade leadership shake-up in the autumn.
While details remain sketchy, the cases shed light on what meets the vague definition of a “state secret” and what China’s most secretive national security apparatus has been targeting in the lead-up to the 20th national party congress.
With China’s relations with the United States and the Western world taking a further dip over Hong Kong, Taiwan, the South China Sea and the Ukraine crisis, anti-espionage clearly remains a priority for Chinese authorities.