China’s Ministry of State Security has alleged that foreign intelligence agencies are conducting surveillance in the country’s waters using “spy turtles” and “spy fish.” Beijing claims that, as part of an “invisible covert war” underway at sea, special sensors are being attached to such creatures to collect important maritime data.
In a statement published Friday on the Chinese social media platform WeChat, the ministry said foreign intelligence and data-gathering agencies were using various kinds of advanced surveillance equipment to collect sensitive information from China’s waters. It said underwater maps were being created from this data, which could pose a serious threat to the country’s national security.
The statement said certain large marine creatures fitted with sensors had been identified in Chinese waters. Referred to as “spy turtles” and “spy fish,” these creatures collected important information such as water temperature, salinity and ocean currents in real time and transmitted it abroad via satellite, the ministry claimed. It gave no specific information on where the creatures were found, or which country or organization had used them.
Allegations of using marine creatures for espionage are not new. Earlier, a 2023 report by a British intelligence agency claimed that Russia had deployed trained dolphins to bolster the security of its Sevastopol naval base in the Black Sea. The report said the dolphins were being used to detect and counter enemy divers.
China’s Ministry of State Security further claimed it had identified floating buoys set up by a foreign marine research institution that were equipped with weather and sound sensors. Through such devices, the acoustic signatures of Chinese submarines could be monitored in real time, it said.
Beijing also mentioned the use of a new type of solar-powered “wave glider” driven by sea waves. According to its allegations, such devices are used to send militarily usable marine environmental data and shipping data abroad.
China has long leveled accusations of espionage and military surveillance around the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. Tensions over military activity are frequently seen in these areas, known as some of the world’s most strategic and contested waters.
Last year, too, China claimed that some secret “lighthouses” or navigation systems had been found on the seabed that could be used to guide foreign submarines and ease preparations for a possible military conflict.
According to Chinese media, fishermen are given financial rewards of 50,000 to 500,000 yuan if they can identify or recover suspicious surveillance devices in the country’s waters.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report