BEIJING: Chinese authorities have discovered hundreds of illegal foreign-affiliated meteorological detection sites transmitting weather data to other countries in real-time during an ongoing nationwide special operation, according to an official post.
The Ministry of State Security published the post on its WeChat account on Tuesday, saying that these illegal sites were found in more than 20 provincial regions across the country, posing risks to national security.
Since the beginning of the year, three central government bodies — the Ministry of State Security, the China Meteorological Administration and the National Administration of State Secrets Protection — have carried out a nationwide operation to inspect the management of foreign-affiliated meteorological detection sites in accordance with the law.
They have inspected more than 3,000 foreign-affiliated meteorological sites, including the hundreds that were found to be illegal, and investigated more than 10 overseas meteorological equipment agents.
The post said that some of the illegal sites are funded directly by foreign governments and some of the observation points are located near sensitive areas, such as sites related to China’s military units and national defense enterprises. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
