China’s Ministry of State Security warns ‘spy turtles’ are fishing for sea secrets
In a post on social media ominously titled “Beneath the blue, undercurrents rise,” the Ministry of State Security said international spy agencies were using “new types of espionage equipment” to steal sensitive maritime data.
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“Relatively large marine animals with sensors attached have been discovered in certain waters of China,” the ministry said in the section titled “spy turtles, spy fish.”
It was stated that the hidden creatures “swim in a specific area, collect sensitive data about the marine environment such as water temperature, salinity and ocean current, and transmit them abroad via satellite.”
It was stated that foreign groups also used solar-powered wave gliders, buoys with high-precision sensors and devices loaded on cargo ships that can capture “port dynamics” in real time.
According to the ministry, the data collected will be used to create “underwater maps” that can “identify weak points in China’s coastal defenses and pose a serious threat to China’s national security.” The ministry called for appropriate safety checks to be carried out on equipment purchased from abroad and urged fishermen to report any fish-looking buoys or devices found at sea.
Beijing and Western governments have long shared accusations of espionage.
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Last year, Beijing warned government employees to be wary of “honey trap” schemes after a public official was lured by the “seductive beauty” of a foreign agent.
This month, the Five Eyes alliance of Western security agencies said Chinese spies were posing as online recruiters to seek sensitive information.
