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China's Ministry of State Security warns against foreign espionage agencies targeting country's maritime data

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Jul 23, 2025 08:54 AM

China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) has issued a warning on Wednesday about growing threats to national security from foreign espionage agencies targeting the country's maritime data. According to the MSS, maritime data serves as the foundation of oceanographic research, supports marine economic activities, and underpins China's strategy to become a maritime power. It is closely tied to national strategic resources and security.

Safeguarding the security of maritime data is essential for protecting China's maritime rights and interests and ensuring the sustainable development of its ocean-related industries, the ministry emphasized.

In recent years, foreign intelligence services have increasingly extended their reach into China's maritime domain. These agencies have employed a variety of means to enhance surveillance and reconnaissance of Chinese waters, engaging in intelligence gathering and technological espionage activities that pose serious threats to national security.

Some of these operations have been carried out under the guise of scientific research or public welfare initiatives, the ministry noted, urging heightened vigilance and stronger protective measures to defend China's maritime data and sovereignty.

The MSS pointed out that the crucial maritime data includes seafloor topography data, which includes information on underwater mountains, trenches, basins, and other geomorphic features. Such data is crucial for studying marine geological structures and ocean dynamics. It also forms the foundational basis for building coastal defense systems and deploying underwater military installations.

Also, the marine meteorological data is important as it encompasses basic atmospheric data such as temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, and precipitation, as well as oceanographic data including sea surface temperature, waves, currents, and sea ice. These datasets directly impact the planning and execution of military operations.

And the important data also includes marine remote sensing data including satellite remote sensing information on sea color, sea surface temperature, sea surface height, surface wind fields, waves, currents, salinity, maritime targets, islands, and coastal zones. It also includes aerial remote sensing data used for high-precision monitoring of key regions.

In recent years, foreign espionage and intelligence agencies have extended their malign reach into the once-pristine blue domain of China's maritime territory, employing a range of tactics to intensify reconnaissance and surveillance over Chinese waters. These activities involve systematic intelligence gathering and technical espionage that pose a serious threat to national security, the MSS said.

For instance, investigations have revealed that a certain maritime non-governmental organization (NGO), under the guise of supporting governmental research, has established dense networks of ocean monitoring stations along China's coastline from south to north. These stations have been collecting extensive oceanographic data across key maritime areas, effectively covering multiple strategically significant zones.

A commonly used tactic by foreign intelligence agencies is the deployment of specialized technical devices into Chinese waters. In one incident, Chinese fishermen accidentally retrieved a newly developed underwater surveillance device, placed by a foreign nation, while conducting routine fishing operations. The device was covertly collecting hydrological data and tracking various ship movements in the area.

Foreign intelligence operatives may also embed "gateways" or "backdoors" into China's marine observation sensors and operational equipment. These hidden infiltration points allow them to clandestinely extract sensitive data during transmission, further compromising the security of China's maritime information infrastructure.