E-Paper
Chinese fishermen net foreign spy devices, awarded by government
Some of the devices netted could collect information on hydrologic characteristics of the sea and map the seabed, and others could collect data on a ship’s sound print, which can then be used for military purposes such as detecting submarine and ship movements and early warning detection, as per a media report.
Fishermen in China casting their nets in the high sighs can rest easy if their catch of the day is not good: They can still make money by netting foreign-made underwater spy devices and turning them over to the police.
At least 11 fishermen from eastern China’s Jiangsu did exactly that in 2019.
Between them, they fished out seven suspicious devices from under the water off the coast of Jiangsu and got a certificate and cash rewards from the national security authorities, local media reported.
Earlier this week, the 11 were felicitated at a function in the Nantong city of Jiangsu province.
Details of the cash rewards were not shared but a government circular issued in April 2017 had announced cash incentives ranging from 10,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan ($1,500 to $73,000) for information on spies or spying activities.
“Jiangsu has been giving such awards to fishers for three consecutive years. In 2018, nine devices used for espionage were found and 18 fishers received rewards,” the nationalistic tabloid Global Times reported.
In the latest case, unidentified national security authorities told state media that seven devices made in other countries were found. They had various espionage functions, posing a serious threat to China’s national security.
The countries of origin of the devices were not revealed.
Some of the devices netted could collect information on hydrologic characteristics of the sea and map the seabed, and others could collect data on a ship’s sound print, which can then be used for military purposes such as detecting submarine and ship movements and early warning detection, as per the media report.
In 2018, nine similar devices were reported to the state security ministry, six of which were “foreign devices capable of underwater investigation, identification and spying”, according to state news agency Xinhua.
According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, in an indication of how much the fishermen may have received, a fisherman in Lianyungang, northeastern China was awarded 50,000 yuan (US$7,300) for discovering underwater devices in January 2018.
Jiangsu, a province in central-eastern China has a coastline of more than a 1000 km along the East China Sea, facing South Korea and Japan.
China expert Alexander Neill told the BBC that the devices probably came from “the US Navy, the Japan Self-Defense Forces, or potentially Taiwan - this is a big area of rivalry”.
