China laid more than 1,400 national security charges since 2018, top prosecutor’s office reveals in a first

Disclosure by Supreme People’s Procuratorate offers rare glimpse into scale of charges mainly relating to espionage and subversion

However, percentage of those indicted of such crimes remains a fraction of total criminal indictments, SPP deputy director Sun Qian clarifies

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State security charges usually relate to the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts against espionage and subversion, with trials mostly held behind closed doors. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 5:40pm, 15 Feb 2023Updated: 8:13pm, 15 Feb 2023

More than 1,400 charges related to endangering state security were laid in the last five years, China’s top prosecutorial agency said on Wednesday, offering a rare glimpse into the scale of such indictments.

Past disclosures by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) only provided the total number of criminal indictments, with no specific data offered on state security charges – which usually relate to the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts against espionage and subversion, with trials mostly held behind closed doors.

Preventing and identifying acts that endanger national and public security was the top priority of prosecutors, SPP deputy director Sun Qian said in announcing the case data for 2018-2022.

Another 435,000 cases relating to endangering public security were tried in the same period, he added.

“In terms of prosecutions against endangering national security and public security, [the prosecutors aim to] severely punish crimes of infiltration, subversion and secession and we focus on enhancing our ability to prevent and spot these crimes,” Sun said in Beijing.

However, the percentage of those indicted of such crimes remained relatively low, he clarified.