Residents learn about national security in Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on April 12. Photo: VCG

East China's Jiangsu Province implemented its first counter-espionage regulation on Wednesday, highlighting a people's defense line for maritime security and encouraging fishermen in coastal areas to guard against foreign espionage activities.

Wednesday marked this year's National Security Education Day, which is on April 15 every year since 2016.

Located on the country's east coast, Jiangsu is a key province in terms of economy, culture and science, and it has been a key target of overseas spy agencies involved in infiltration, instigation and stealing secrets. Especially for some cities in southern Jiangsu, which are highly open to the outside world, risks are high, local officials said.

For example, Wuxi, home to several military scientific research bases, has always been a key area for overseas espionage activities, local officials said during a symposium on Tuesday about the regulation. 

The regulation stipulates that security measures, such as safety patrols, will be taken at military organizations and universities. Jiangsu is home to top Chinese military colleges like the Nanjing-based Army Engineering University of the PLA and the PLA Naval Command College. 

More importantly, unlike in other provinces, this regulation highlights people's power in the anti-espionage battle. It stresses the province's experience in strengthening people's defense lines to safeguard maritime security and mobilizing fishermen in coastal areas to combat espionage activities. 

In one section, the regulation orders local governments to include anti-espionage combat into the community grid management system, a nationwide social governance system that divides populous urbanized areas into "grids," or various blocks and communities, to let high-tech digital platforms, social volunteers and local police jointly identify and handle social issues for residents. 

According to the regulation, the "grid" managers will be responsible for popularizing anti-espionage education among communities, and  gathering information and sources to troubleshoot potential dangers. 

Meanwhile, a reward and honors system will be established to encourage and mobilize fishermen to report suspected espionage activities, which the province has already been doing for the past three years. 

In January, 11 fishermen in Jiangsu were given rewards at a ceremony after retrieving seven underwater spy devices made in other countries that had various espionage functions and turning them in to national security authorities in 2019. 

Some of the devices could collect information on the hydrologic characteristics of the sea and map the seabed, and others could collect data on a ship's sound pattern, which could be used for military purposes such as detecting submarine and ship movements, as well as early warning detection.

The rewards that the fishermen received were not disclosed at the ceremony but some netizens said that the prizes ranged from tens of thousands of yuan to 500,000 yuan ($72,700).

In 2018, nine devices used for espionage were found and 18 fishermen received huge rewards at a grand ceremony. 

An expert on intelligence security told the Global Times on Wednesday on condition of anonymity that foreign unmanned underwater vehicles are very active in the waters of Jiangsu, and they could potentially gather hydrologic information, and detect military surface vessel and submarine activities, which could give the enemy advantages in military activities.

These underwater spy drones are usually small and difficult to find, but there are many fishermen who are often working out at sea, and they collect these devices in addition to fishing, the expert said, noting that mobilizing these people and engaging in a people's war against underwater espionage is a good method.

China passed a counter-espionage law in 2014 aimed at more comprehensive state security. The law specifies that foreign organizations and individuals who conduct espionage activities or instigate and sponsor others in conducting them will be punished, as well as domestic organizations and individuals who spy on the country for foreign organizations and individuals.

On September 1, 2019, the country's first local anti-espionage regulation was implemented in East China's Zhejiang Province, followed by Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on November 1, 2019. 

Southwest China's Sichuan Province is considering a local regulation.