China offers rewards of over US$15,000 for national security tip-offs
- Regulation aims to encourage citizens to report clear targets or verifiable leads for actions that are considered a threat
- It comes as the Communist Party is ramping up law enforcement ahead of its five-yearly national congress in autumn
The Ministry of State Security on Monday said a new regulation setting out criteria for the rewards had been introduced with immediate effect.
Anyone who reports a clear target or verifiable lead for actions not already known to the state and considered damaging to national security will be eligible for a reward once it is confirmed by investigators.
A ministry spokesperson said the regulation would encourage citizens to report such threats and that it was a concrete security measure in the lead-up to the party congress later this year.
China’s national security and anti-espionage laws cover actions deemed to threaten the country’s sovereignty and security. But neither specifies punishments for offenders, saying only that any violation is a criminal offence. And since the legislation is wide-ranging and vague – from treason to economic interests – there is room for interpretation as to what constitutes an offence.
Under the new regulation, informants will be eligible for cash rewards and certificates in a four-tier system. It states that a lead at the lowest level could earn a reward of less than 10,000 yuan while someone who provides a tip-off at the top end – seen as “exceedingly significant” – could pocket more than 100,000 yuan.
