China is intensifying efforts to counter foreign espionage activities through a crackdown on weather stations believed to be spying for other countries. The Ministry of State Security, China's civilian spy agency, announced the discovery of hundreds of illegal meteorological stations with foreign connections that were transmitting real-time weather data abroad, violating data regulations and posing national security risks. These stations were uncovered in over 20 provinces, with some receiving direct funding from foreign governments, according to the ministry's statement.
The spy agency revealed that some of these stations were strategically placed near sensitive locations like military bases and defense companies to gather altitude and GPS data. Additionally, others were situated in key grain-producing regions to analyze crop growth and grain yield. The agency emphasized that some of the devices were small, easily deployable, and difficult to detect, enabling them to autonomously collect and transmit data in real-time.
Certain stations were found to be sending real-time information at high frequencies and multiple intervals for extended periods to official meteorological agencies overseas. These activities were said to serve the "homeland security" and meteorological monitoring of foreign nations, though the ministry did not specify which countries were involved.
The discovery was made after an investigation into more than 10 overseas meteorological equipment agents and inspections of over 3,000 foreign-linked meteorological stations across China. The foreign entities involved had not obtained the necessary administrative licenses for their operations, and they had neither submitted data to Chinese meteorological authorities nor obtained approval to transmit data overseas.
The Ministry of State Security underscored the significance of meteorological data, emphasizing its relevance to data security, resource security, and its close connection to military, food, ecological security, climate change, and public interests. The illegal collection and cross-border transmission of such data were deemed to endanger China's sovereignty, security, and developmental interests.
This crackdown on foreign-linked weather stations comes eight months after the United States shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon that had drifted across the continental US and hovered over sensitive military sites. China maintained that it was a "civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes" that had strayed from its planned course, and accused the US of an overreaction.
Since then, both China and the United States have made public accusations of spying against each other. While espionage between the two nations is not new, the deteriorating relationship has amplified this rivalry.
In recent months, China's Ministry of State Security has taken a more prominent role in publicizing alleged cases of espionage by the US, claiming to have apprehended several spies working for the CIA. This shift in strategy is unusual for the typically secretive agency, which handles intelligence and counterintelligence within China and abroad. It even launched a public account on WeChat, a widely used social messaging app in China, to encourage the public to report suspicious activities.
This increased focus on counter-espionage comes shortly after CIA Director William Burns stated that his agency had made progress in rebuilding its spy network in China, following significant setbacks a decade ago.l
