Chinese security agencies appeal to public for tip-offs after claiming foreign spies were caught after suspicious landlord spotted mystery ‘green light’ in flat

The State Security Ministry said it had foiled an attempt to gather intelligence about new military equipment – including what it described as “trump card” weaponry – in an unidentified coastal city.

In a post on its official WeChat page it said that it had been tipped off by a suspicious landlord who had noticed an “eerie green light” coming from a house he had rented to the foreign company.

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The green light turned out to be coming from video monitoring equipment used by foreign agents to collect intelligence from a nearby naval base, which carried out “important military tasks” and was being targeted by foreign agents.

The post did not give details such as when and where the alleged incident happened or which country had sent the spies. It also did not say if any arrests had been made.

But it said that the landlord had received a “handsome reward” for his “significant contribution” adding that China’s security would have been “severely harmed” if the information collected by the spies had been sent overseas.

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The Chinese authorities say they face a heightened security threat from foreign countries, including the United States and its allies, and have called for efforts to catch spies to be redoubled.

The State Security Minister, Chen Yixin, has frequently used social media to promote such calls and appeal to the public for tip-offs.

Earlier this year, Chen said that China must “proactively defend” against foreign spies to strengthen national security and the Communist Party’s leadership.

A new counter-espionage law came into effect in July, which expanded both the definition of spying and the investigative powers of national security law enforcement agencies.

In the post, the ministry also said that stopping spies “not only requires the national security agencies to play a role … but the extensive participation and collective vigilance of the general public”.