BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese military history buff may have made a startling discovery after picking up four books for less than a dollar at a local recycling station: classified military documents.
China’s Ministry of State Security broke the story in a social media post on Thursday, praising the retired man for calling the hotline to report the incident. It identified him only as Zhang and did not say what the document contained.
“Zhang thought he had ‘bought’ national military secrets and taken them back home,” the post read. “But if someone with ulterior motives had bought them, the consequences would be unimaginable!”
The post, which has been reprinted on at least two popular Chinese news websites, is the latest in a series of posts by powerful national security agencies in an apparent attempt to attract new audiences with dramatic — and in this case, outlandish — stories, some of which are told in cartoon style.
The campaign appears to be designed to raise awareness of the importance of national security at a time of rising conflict with the United States and when both countries are increasingly concerned about the possible theft or transfer of sensitive or secret information.
According to the post, Zhang, a former employee of a state-owned enterprise whose hobby is collecting military newspapers and periodicals, found two bags of new books at a recycling station and bought four of them for 6 yuan (about 85 cents).
After Zhang reported the incident, state security officials rushed to the police station, the post said. An investigation revealed that the two soldiers accused of shredding more than 200 books had been selling the books as waste paper to recycling centers, totaling 30 kilograms (65 pounds), for about 20 yuan ($2.75).
Authorities have confiscated the documents and the military has closed loopholes in how they are handled, the article said.
China’s opaque national security agencies and legal system make it often difficult to discern what is considered a state secret.
The definition of state secrets has apparently expanded in recent years, with Chinese and foreign consultancy firms operating in the country coming under investigation by national security agencies for possessing or sharing information about the economy.
