Overseas agents recruit youth to access databases, journals(2)

Song Fei, a university graduate in Zhejiang province, received a job offer in 2012 from an agent named Li Hua from a market research company. Song's main job was to help collect materials on central government policy studies, which would pay him up to 50,000 yuan in January 2013.

Song was then assigned to conduct research on 10 programs, including Central Economic Working Conference and Central Conference on Rural work.

He also studied China's industry restructuring as well as energy industry development. Several study reports were handed to Li after materials were collected from libraries and databases.

Meanwhile, Li also encouraged Song to expand his social relationships and probe information from scholars and think tanks with government background, while all money spent on establishing closer relationship would be paid by the company.

In 2013, Song got full support from the company when he applied for civil servant examinations by offering a 3,000 yuan subsidy every month.

It also offered guidance in position application.

Instead of grass-roots level official posts that would be valueless, the company suggested Song to apply for positions at provincial level or at research institutions.

Song confessed after he was taken away for investigation that he knew he would be asked for more classified information once he got the job.

"After the student becomes addicted to some instant interests, he/she would then be sent for more specific and classified information.

"Resisting ones may be threatened to be reported to the police or State security departments.

"The career development path of those student-intelligence agents will surely be affected," a State security official told the Global Times.

'Secrets' online

Zha Youyin, a military history writer, told the Global Times that seemingly normal information, such as photos of military infrastructure and weapons, actually contains many useful details that could be used against a nation in time of war.

"An experienced agent can easily use the scale of a factory, the degree of wear on the weapon or the location to deduct the military capacity of our nation.

This is why one should neither take any photos near military infrastructure nor post everything online carelessly.

Intelligence agents are there watching us. As much as espionage is a global practice, one must protect the national security of his/her motherland," Zha said.

However, those "secrets" are easily found on some popular Chinese military online forums, such as top81.cn and tiexue.net, where military fans closely follow the nation's military development.

For more than two years, the forums carried "insider leaks" and photos showing the navy's "secret" Class 055 guided-missile destroyer.

In 2010, some Net user uploaded photos of a prototype of the J-20 stealth fighter jet, which was not expected to be in use for several more years, while military enthusiasts shared photos on Weibo recently after the discovery of a new type of intelligence aircraft, reported the South China Morning Post.

Zha added that military-related journals available for subscription in the mainland may not be accessible from the rest of the world, which makes them another target of intelligence agencies.