China Fears Turtles Being Used as Spy Tools
China is concerned about turtles, fearing the animals are being used as espionage tools. Chinese authorities have warned that foreign spies are attaching sensors to turtles and fish to map underwater terrain along the country’s coastline, in an apparent reference to its Western rivals.
The Ministry of State Security made the announcement in a social media post titled ‘Beneath the blue sea, undercurrents are surging’. It said international intelligence agencies are using ‘new types of spying equipment’ to steal sensitive maritime data.
‘Relatively large marine animals with sensors attached have been found in certain waters in China,’ the ministry said in the post under a section titled ‘spy turtles, spy fish’. These ‘secret’ creatures, it claimed, were found swimming in specific areas. China accused them of being used to gather sensitive data about the marine environment, such as water temperature, salinity, and currents, then transmitting it overseas via satellite.
China also said foreign intelligence agencies are using solar-powered sea gliders, buoys with high-precision sensors, and devices loaded onto cargo ships capable of capturing ‘port dynamics’ in real time. However, no specific details were given about which foreign intelligence agencies were being referred to.
The Ministry of State Security alleged the collected data would be used to create ‘underwater maps’ that could identify weak points in China’s coastal defences. China considers this a serious threat to its national security.
Furthermore, the ministry urged proper security checks on equipment received from abroad. It also called on fishermen to report any suspicious buoys or devices found at sea.
Accusations of espionage between China and Western governments are nothing new. Last year, Beijing warned government employees to remain vigilant against honey trap schemes after a civil servant was seduced by the ‘tempting beauty’ of a foreign agent. This month, the Five Eyes alliance of Western security agencies said Chinese spies were posing as online job recruiters to seek sensitive information.