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MSS discloses case involving over 40 platform shops illegally trading second-hand military-related goods

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Nov 18, 2025 11:36 AM

China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) released an article via its WeChat account on Tuesday disclosing details of a case in which people used secondhand platforms to illegally trade military-related goods, and the authorities took action against more than 40 involved secondhand platform shops, according to the MSS.

The state security authorities received a report saying that someone was using online secondhand platforms to conduct illegal transactions in military related items. After receiving the report, the authorities launched an investigation and, together with relevant departments, successfully dismantled a criminal network that was illicitly reselling decommissioned military equipment on the domestic secondhand market, eliminating potential national security risks and safeguarding military secrets, according to the MSS.

According to the article released by the MSS, an individual surnamed Liu is a long-time "military enthusiast" who ran a scrap-collection station. In the course of the daily business, Liu used this convenience to gather various military-related items and equipment for resale and make profits.

In 2022, a "fellow dealer" surnamed Ma contacted Liu and, tempting Liu with large sums of money and asked Liu to help collect aviation parts for a certain air force model, planning to sell them to other "military enthusiasts" for huge profits. Lured by Ma, Liu failed to distinguish the line between personal hobbies and illegal conduct, gradually crossing the legal red line, according to the MSS.

Liu not only collected aviation spare parts through various channels but also forged documents such as military aviation material service records and qualification certificates, which were then handed over to Ma for sale to multiple regions across China, according to the MSS.

As their repeated "cooperation" progressed, Liu was introduced by Ma into a larger "circle," coming into contact with more people engaged in similar deals. In recent years, the so-called "military craze" in the domestic secondhand recycling market has been rampant, and demand for military-related items and equipment has continued to rise. Spurred by this collecting demand, some "military enthusiasts" and scrap recycling workers colluded, forming a one-stop service for sourcing goods, negotiating prices, and reselling, said the MSS.

Driven by profit, Liu was no longer content to merely play the role of a "supplier," Liu began openly selling various types of used military items through Liu's own online shop, even using livestreams to display and sell military-related goods to attract more "military enthusiasts," and was ultimately reported by netizens, according to the MSS.

Using Liu as a starting point, the authorities gradually uncovered the underground supply chain for trafficking these military items and investigated more than 40 secondhand platform shops involved, according to the MSS.

These shops openly sold more than 100 types of military items, including military communications equipment, inertial navigation systems, and airborne computers. Notably, confidential documents such as equipment service records, which serve as the "ID" for military equipment, became sought-after items on the illegal market, even giving rise to the craze of "documents mean a higher price," according to the MSS.

Some "military enthusiasts" spent large sums of money to acquire military items that came with such "IDs," unaware that the equipment and those documents belong to carriers of state secrets. According to the Law on Guarding State Secrets and related laws and regulations, illegally obtaining, possessing, buying, selling, or transferring carriers of state secrets is unlawful. The actions of Ma, Liu, and others have violated the law and will face severe legal penalties, according to the MSS.

The state security authorities reminded the public, including military enthusiasts to consciously safeguard national security, resist and report any illegal acts of obtaining or trading materials that carry state secrets, safeguarding national security.