Beijing Offers USD $73,000 Reward To Spy-Spotters

China has offered US$1,500 to US$73,000 as prize money for providing information on on suspected foreign spies.

“The pressing need for new measures to guard against foreign spies is an unfortunate side-effect of China’s reform and opening up to the world,” Sina English reported Monday.

Foreign intelligence organs and other hostile forces have gabbed the opportunity to sabotage the country through political infiltration, division and subversion, stealing secrets and collusion.

“The Beijing City National Security Bureau is encouraging citizens to join counterintelligence efforts, by offering rewards of 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) to 500,000 yuan for information on spies,”.

The communist government has acquired new powers to safeguard China with a national security law passed in 2014, followed by measures on counter-terrorism, the management of foreign non-government bodies and cyber security.

During last April, China launched a series of warnings against espionage and has publicized rare details of spy cases in state media, with examples how romantic relationships can be used to uncover sensitive information.

The major spy behaviour that could be reported are working with employees of the country's organizations to harm China’s national interests and also encouraging defection and buying state secrets.

Discovering espionage equipment, such as recording and monitoring devices, could bring extra rewards. For example, fishermen in east China’s coastal Jiangsu Province received rewards in January for the discovery of a suspicious device that proved to be collecting data for foreign countries.

People exploiting the new measures to frame rivals will be held accountable, the paper warned, however, good faith errors would not attract any punishment.