Beijing is offering rewards of almost £60,000 to people who hand over information on suspected spies, the latest in a series of national security measures from increasingly sensitive Chinese authorities.<\/b>
B eijing is offering rewards of almost \u00a360,000 to people who hand over information on suspected spies, the latest in a series of national security measures from increasingly sensitive Chinese authorities.
The reward scheme is being rolled out after a spy hot line was set up and warnings issued over Chinese citizens forming romantic relationships with foreigners.
The measures come amid increasing reports of threats from domestic and foreign \u201chostile forces\u201d, and as a raft of security measures have been launched since President Xi Jinping took office in 2013.
S uch measures are often designed to bolster Communist Party rule, rather than defend the country against spies, some observers say.
In a report on the reward scheme, the state-run Beijing Morning Post said: \u201cThe anti-spy work should involve the mobilisation of the masses in order to build a steel and iron Great Wall to defend against spies.\u201d
The newspaper said China\u2019s national security concerns had grown following the country\u2019s \u201copening up\u201d and increased travel by Chinese citizens.
\u201cOverseas spy agencies and other hostile forces have been stepping up efforts to politically penetrate\u00a0and subvert China and they have been engaging on activities such as intelligence theft and instigating incitement,\u201d it added.
\u201cSome people, out of consideration for personal benefits, sell national interests to foreign spy agencies.\u201d
The Beijing City National Security Bureau is offering rewards of between 10,000 (\u00a31,170) to 500,000 yuan (\u00a358,400) for information on spies.
The stability-obsessed Chinese government passed a national security law in 2015 which was criticised by rights groups for being couched in general terms and open to wide interpretation.
L ater that year, a new hot line was set up to report spies, and in 2016 cartoon posters entitled»Dangerous Love» begun appearing around Beijing warning people to be aware when dating foreigners.
A list of»guidelines» to help people identify spies appeared on Chinese social media soon after the hot line was announced, although it was unclear where they originated.
P otential spies included \u201cthose with vague job tiles and a lot of money\u201d and \u201cthose who bring up controversial topics at parties and then only observe the discussion\u201d, said the guidelines, which were shared widely on Chinese messaging app Wechat.
State media has previously reported on Chinese citizens being»lured» by foreign spies when looking for jobs and friends online.
Additional reporting by Christine Wei<\/p>\n