China cleans up hundreds of ‘illegal foreign-related’ weather stations allegedly spying on the country

China has reportedly carried out a cleanup of numerous “illegal foreign-related” weather stations, alleging that these stations were engaged in espionage activities in the country. This move is part of a broader counter-espionage campaign initiated by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the midst of escalating geopolitical tensions with the United States.

China’s Ministry of State Security, the nation’s top spy agency, announced on October 31 that it had discovered “illegal meteorological stations” with foreign connections. These stations were said to be transmitting real-time updates outside China to foreign governments, which China considered a violation of its data rules and a national security risk. However, the Chinese government did not specify which foreign governments were allegedly receiving this data.

These unauthorized weather stations were located in 20 provinces across China and were detected through an investigation involving over 3,000 overseas-related meteorological stations. According to China’s state security ministry, some of these spy weather stations were situated near the country’s military and defense units, while others were positioned near major grain production areas, monitoring and analyzing crop growth and production.

China emphasized the importance of meteorological data in terms of data security, resource security, and its connection to national, food, ecological security, and climate change. The ministry stated that the “illegal collection and cross-border transmission of meteorological data pose a threat to our country’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.”

This action occurs amid growing concerns about data security and potential espionage activities, particularly given the geopolitical tensions between China and the United States. In response to these concerns, China has taken stringent measures to protect its data and digital activities, including the introduction of a new anti-espionage law in 2023. This law extends legal oversight to a broader range of data and digital operations.