Beijing: The Ministry of State Security of China has announced the retrieval of various spying devices located both on the ocean surface and submerged underwater, including advanced “lighthouses” designed to guide foreign submarines.
The ministry revealed that these devices, hidden on the ocean floor, were relaying information that could potentially “pre-set the field for battle.” The statement underscores growing concerns over national security in the face of heightened maritime tensions.
Recent confrontations in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines, sparked by competing territorial claims have raised the stakes, particularly with the United States committed to defending the Philippines under a mutual defence treaty.
Furthermore, China has conducted military exercises around Taiwan, simulating attacks that have drawn condemnation from both the Taiwanese government and US officials.
“National security forces have seized a variety of special technical devices used for spying on marine information and data, hidden in the vastness of the sea,” the ministry stated, although it did not disclose the specific locations of the recovered devices.
“Some act as ‘secret agents,’ drifting and floating with the waves, monitoring the situation in our territorial waters in real-time, the ministry insisted.
China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, a claim that overlaps with those of several Southeast Asian nations, including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Analysts highlight an increasing submarine arms race between China and the US and its allies, with Beijing poised to deploy a new generation of nuclear-powered submarines by the end of the decade.
“In the face of serious and complex covert threats to deep-sea security and the ongoing risk of foreign espionage… (the ministry) will resolutely defend China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests and contribute to building a strong maritime nation,” the statement concluded.
RECOMMENDED | Wealth inequality fuels climate crisis; Oxfam Report reveals
