Hong Kong CNN —China is cracking down on weather stations it says are spying for foreign countries, the latest measure in a broad counter-espionage campaign under leader Xi Jinping amid intensifying geopolitical tensions.
Some stations were set up around sensitive sites such as military bases and defense companies to locate altitude and GPS data, the spy agency said.
The authorities made the discovery after investigating more than 10 overseas meteorological equipment agents and inspecting more than 3,000 foreign-linked meteorological stations nationwide.
“Meteorological data… is an integral part of data security and resource security.
It’s closely linked to military, food, and ecological security, climate change, and public interests,” the Ministry of State Security said.
Persons:
Xi Jinping, William Burns, “
Organizations:
Hong Kong CNN, Ministry of State Security, Embassy, Twitter, United, China’s Ministry of State Security, CIA
Locations:
Hong Kong, China, Beijing, United States, Washington