Chinese Ministry of State Security

 
China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) on Tuesday disclosed several cases in which foreign espionage and intelligence agencies used postal deliveries to carry out espionage activities, including mailing alligator snapping turtles, American bullfrogs, and other species to China, with the aim to disrupt local ecosystem and biodiversity. 

The courier industry is not only closely related to economic and social development and the lives of the people but is also closely connected to national security. In recent years, foreign espionage and intelligence agencies have increasingly used delivery channels to carry out espionage activities, the MSS said in an article published on Tuesday. 

National security agencies have discovered that some packages and parcels from abroad have become channels for a clandestine biological invasion, threatening China's ecological balance and biological security, according to the MSS. 

In recent years, some foreign organizations and individuals have been mailing exotic species such as red-eared sliders, alligator snapping turtles, American bullfrogs, fall armyworms, and red imported fire ants into China. These invasive species have strong reproductive capabilities and, once they invade, they compete with local species for resources, disrupt local ecosystems and biodiversity, and pose significant risks to China's biological and ecological security. Additionally, they may also pose serious threats to the safety of people's lives and property, said the MSS.

Some criminals have attempted to use non-contact methods such as "Internet + delivery" to carry out illegal activities related to terrorism and violence, according to the MSS. 

For example, a foreign organization, under the guise of a scientific project, mailed a certain chemical powder to a research institution in China. Unsure of the powder's composition and intended use, the staff member of the Chinese research institution promptly contacted national security agencies. 

Upon investigation, it was found that this type of powder could be used as a catalyst in various harmful chemical experiments. Had it been successfully infiltrated, it would pose significant risks to the key research projects undertaken by the institution, the article wrote.

Recently, national security agencies have conducted a thorough investigation and identified a suspect surnamed Zhang after receiving a tip-off through a public reporting hotline 12339 on a potential leakage of a classified publication. 

The investigation revealed that Zhang had been recruited by a foreign espionage and intelligence agency and took advantage of his position, which allowed him to subscribe to classified publications, to send these publications to foreign espionage personnel via a courier company. Zhang was ultimately sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking multiple documents classified as confidential and secret.

The MSS warned the public in the article that according to China's Law on Guarding State Secrets, transmitting state secrets through ordinary postal services, couriers, or other channels without confidentiality measures; sending or consigning carriers of state secrets abroad, or carrying or transmitting carriers of state secrets abroad without approval from the relevant authorities, will result in disciplinary actions according to the severity of the situation. Any illegal gains will be confiscated, and if a crime is committed, criminal responsibility will be pursued according to the law.

China's Postal Law also stipulates that no entity or individual shall use postal materials to post or deliver articles with content that aims to incite subversion of state political power and overthrow the socialist system, split the country and undermine national unity, or endanger state security. 

China's Biosecurity Law also stipulates that if foreign organizations or individuals transport, post, and bring dangerous biological factors into the country or otherwise endanger nation's biological security, they shall be pursued for legal responsibility according to law and other necessary measures may be taken.