(Reuters) — A man has been handed a ten-year prison sentence for leaking secret and confidential information about China’s military, the country’s state security agency in south China’s Guangdong Province said on Sunday.
Over a period of three years, the man, surnamed Li, who was living in a coastal city in Guangdong Province, forwarded to an overseas spy Chinese internal military publications along with reports of activities at key Chinese military bases.
In May 2011, Li, 41, received a friend request through Chinese online social communication network QQ.
The new contact, nicknamed Feige, offered money to Li and asked him to subscribe to some military publications to which only professionals inside China can subscribe.
“I thought I was just doing him a favor as a friend,” said Li.
Then the intelligence agent offered Li 3,000 yuan per month and asked him to take photos of local military bases.
“The overseas spy first tentatively asked him to do some things that he would think were simple. Then the spy designated a target area and asked him to observe the movements of warships at the military wharf every three days,” said an officer with the Bureau of State Security in Shantou, Guangdong.
According to the officer, Li collected over 100 internal military publications and sent to the foreign intelligence agent approximately 2,000 pieces of information about China’s troops and naval and air force facilities.
According to reports, the overseas spy “Feige” has persuaded 40 people in more than 20 Chinese provinces to supply him with information related to China’s military.
