appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Edith Mao

China’s top anti-spy agency has advised citizens travelling abroad to be wary of accepting souvenirs that could be used for surveillance.
Items such as backpack charms, key rings, necklaces and earrings might have hidden spy functions, including cameras, listening devices and tracking features, the Ministry of State Security warned on social media on Tuesday.
It said the public must understand national security regulations and exercise caution with these “modified travel souvenirs”.
It added that overseas spy agencies might push these altered gifts through “forced gifting”. State sector personnel, employees in classified roles, and scholars and students in universities and research institutions are prime targets, according to the ministry.
It said these gifts could pose a risk to state secrets if they entered classified workplaces.
Under China’s counter-espionage law, individuals and organisations are prohibited from the unlawful use or possession of specialised equipment designed for spying. The law’s amended version further clarifies the legal liability for helping others to conduct espionage.
Beijing has elevated national security to new prominence in recent years through tighter legislation and administration.


The government has also attached greater importance to political integrity by working to combat politically subversive or sensitive content.
The ministry warned that some map-themed merchandise sold overseas might “inaccurately depict or omit national territory”. It said these items could “severely compromise national sovereignty and territorial integrity” and were strictly forbidden for cross-border transport.
China has unresolved land and maritime territorial disputes with surrounding nations, including tensions over its border with India and in the South China Sea.
The ministry urged citizens not to buy “improper materials”, such as sensitive or misleading content on state, social or political matters, that are considered illegal publications in China.
It also advised Chinese citizens not to transport any pets bought overseas due to national security concerns.
Live flora and fauna, such as amphibians and insects, have become hot souvenir items among Chinese tourists travelling abroad, who bring them back to China and raise them as “exotic pets”.
Under Chinese law, it is a crime to bring invasive species or those that threaten the ecosystem into Chinese territory.
According to 2024 customs data, national ports intercepted 71,000 specimens of quarantinable pests and 13,000 banned “exotic pets”.
In September, China’s first criminal case involving the illegal introduction of invasive species concluded with a first-instance verdict.
The defendant received a nine-month prison sentence and a 100,000 yuan (US$13,935) fine after he was detained in 2022 for carrying 2,015 red-eared slider hatchlings into the country without valid quarantine certificates.
The turtles are listed as an invasive species in China and considered to be among the top 100 worst invasive alien species in the world by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.


People’s Daily rejects US claims of malicious AI distillation, warns of countermeasures

Will China’s new local surtax provide relief for its regions’ fiscal headaches?

Huawei’s US trial puts jury to the test amid China, Iran links

Beijing puts a total ban on drones in update to regulations after deadly tower crash

China’s Communist Party

Beware of overseas spies bearing souvenirs, China warns travellers

Key rings, backpack charms, necklaces and earrings are among the items that might contain hidden spy functions, according to China’s Ministry of State Security. Photo: Shutterstock 

China exposes foreign spy tactics to steal rare earths by post

China’s security ministry cut off smuggling channels after discovering how spies used various strategies to bypass export controls to steal rare earths. Photo: Reuters

Why Israel’s spy tactics against Iran have sparked fears in Taiwan

Observers say Beijing could try to replicate Israeli tactics used against Iran to hit Taiwanese infrastructure. Photo: IRCS

China warned to watch for security threats as Israeli spies in Iran open ‘Pandora’s box’

Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency reportedly used spies and agents to smuggle armed drones and precision weapons into Iran in a prolonged operation, effectively creating a covert drone base within Iranian territory. Photo: Shutterstock 

News

China

Politics

State sector workers, scholars and students are prime targets for receiving surveillance-equipped gifts abroad, anti-espionage agency says


State sector workers, scholars and students are prime targets for receiving surveillance-equipped gifts abroad, anti-espionage agency says.


Espionage

Beware of overseas spies bearing souvenirs, China warns travellers

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}State sector workers, scholars and students are prime targets for receiving surveillance-equipped gifts abroad, anti-espionage agency says

State sector workers, scholars and students are prime targets for receiving surveillance-equipped gifts abroad, anti-espionage agency says