Photo: VCG

Including the case of the two Canadian Michaels, 10 typical spy cases were disclosed in a special documentary film published by China's Ministry of State Security on Sunday to mark the ninth National Security Education Day that falls on April 15, through which various despicable methods of infiltration, theft and incitement by foreign spy and intelligence agencies are exposed, and awareness of anti-espionage is expected to be firmly established among the people.

As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the proposal of the holistic view of national security, the national security has been strengthened. However, beyond traditional areas, emerging fields related to national economy and people's livelihoods, future development, energy, food and meteorology have also become key targets for foreign spy agencies.

In response to the new situations and forms both internationally and domestically, comprehensive measures are needed in terms of raising awareness of safeguarding national security, implementing better legislation and the establishment of specialized institutions to address events that pose a threat to national security, according to analysts. They stressed the importance of lifelong education on national security among the public.

As part of nationwide efforts to promote the national security education, China's Ministry of State Security released a special documentary film that is divided into two parts with the first part summarizing the 10 major anti-espionage cases uncovered by the state security organs in the past decade and the second part reviewing 10 typical citizen-whistleblowing cases during the same period.

The first part of the film was released on Sunday and the second part is set to be published on Monday, according to the ministry.

In the first part of the video that lasts about half an hour, the case of the two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, engaging in spying activities in China, is revealed with some details. In December 2018, the state security organs detected two Canadians for overseas spying, illegally providing state secrets and reporting intelligence, which severely fought against the criminal acts of overseas spies endangering China's national security.

In recent years, with the continuous improvement of China's comprehensive national strength, some overseas spy and intelligence agencies have infiltrated China, trying to gather intelligence and steal China's state secrets, the Ministry of State Security noted.

In another case, in 2019, the state security organ uncovered the case of Lee Henley Huxiang's financing of criminal activities endangering national security. According to the video, Lee is willing to be a "traitor" - enjoying the national dividend, while sparing no effort to support anti-China activities, acting as the investor behind the anti-China activities, engaged in anti-China chaos and other activities, endangering national security. 

Separately, according to the film, in 2017, the state security authorities deployed a special campaign against defectors, including Wang Pihong and Zhao Ruqin. Defection is one of the crimes of endangering national security, and this was the first case of endangering national security with the conviction of "defection" since 2012. 

The Ministry of State Security also noted that core secret-related personnel in the Party, government and military organs, military enterprises, scientific research institutes as well as university teachers and students are the key targets for overseas spy and intelligence agencies to carry out intelligence collection and infiltration. 

Through various means such as emotional solicitation, seduction and corruption, financial purchase, and offering help, overseas spies have tried every means to recruit and instigate Chinese officials, researchers and Chinese personnel working overseas, posing a serious threat to China's national security, the film said. 

The state security organs have found that some personnel have a weak sense of national security and are used by people with ulterior motives, intentionally or inadvertently divulging state secrets and endangering national security.

The video also revealed cases of individual military fans illegally obtaining state secrets.

At present, there are some overseas institutions that have complex backgrounds. With the rapid development of information technology, in order to circumvent China's laws and regulations and the supervision of key sensitive industries, they disguise their overseas background through various methods. Then, they steal China's state secrets and intelligence in key fields with the help of domestic consulting companies and other industries, the film warned.

The video has sparked heated online discussion with many expressing admiration and respect for the anti-espionage work. Some netizens "liked" the various forms of popularizing the national security concept including videos, comic posts and other activities both online and offline, believing those publicity works can promote the public awareness of protecting national security.

Li Wei, an expert on national security at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Sunday that as China comprehensively promotes the rule of law, including in the field of counterespionage, relevant provisions of the Criminal Law and Counter-Espionage Law have been improved and enriched. 

For example, the Counter-Espionage Law that was revised last year is more precise, clear-cut and transparent, which embodies progress in China's legal system.

However, relevant laws are not permanently perfected through one revision. If there are new trends and changes in espionage activities in the future, these laws will need further revisions and improvements, according to Li.

Li put forward a concept of lifelong education on national security among the public, stressing the significance of adopting more forms and methods to enhance the relevant awareness and make safeguarding national security a necessity for every citizen.