China’s citizens are being offered cash rewards of 100,000 yuan or more for tip offs about people who endanger the country’s national security. Authorities in China are intensifying a multi-year long campaign to weed out threats from hostile forces or foreign espionage. Informants may receive spiritual rewards in certificants or material rewards in cash according to the documents released by the Ministry of State Security on Monday.
The tip-offs must be specific and new to authorities. China’s authorities have been encouraging the public to inform them about foreign spies and their Chinese conglomerates through propaganda and incentive campaigns for years. These measures are being put in place to standardize awards and motivate the public. Chinese officials and the state media have been pushing the narrative that the country is under a constant threat from foreign forces, which stems partially from its geopolitical rivalry with the West, specifically the United States. The national security laws that have been put in place over the past few years have increased suspicion of foreigners living in China and have been used to target social activists, government critics and other outspoken members of the Chinese public.
Read more: China offers $15,000 cash — or a ‘spiritual reward’ — for national security tip-offs
