BEIJING — A military history buff in China appears to have made an alarming discovery after picking up four books for less than $1 at a neighborhood recycling station: They were confidential military documents.
The country’s Ministry of State Security told the story in a social media post on Thursday, praising the retiree for calling a hotline to report the incident. He identified him only by his last name, Zhang, and did not say what the documents were about.
“Mr. Zhang thought to himself that he had ‘bought’ the country’s military secrets and brought them home,” the post says, “but if someone with ulterior motives bought them, the consequences would be unimaginable!”
The post, which was republished on at least two popular Chinese news websites, was the latest in a series from the powerful state security agency that appears to be trying to attract new audiences with dramatic (and in this case outlandish) stories ). Some stories have been told in comic book style.
The campaign appears designed to raise awareness about the importance of national security at a time when confrontation with the United States is increasing and both countries are increasingly concerned about the possible theft or transfer of confidential and secret information.
The publication describes Zhang as a former employee of a state-owned company who likes to collect military newspapers and magazines. He says he found two bags of new books at the recycling station and paid 6 yuan (about 85 cents) for four of them.
State security officers rushed to the station after Zhang reported what happened, the publication said. After an investigation, they discovered that two military employees accused of shredding more than 200 books sold them to a recycling center as waste paper (30 kilograms (65 pounds) in total) for about 20 yuan ($2.75). .
Agents confiscated the documents and the military closed loopholes in the handling of those documents, the post said.
China’s opaque state security organs and legal system often make it difficult to know what is considered a state secret.
Chinese and foreign consultancies operating within the country have been investigated by state security agencies for possessing or sharing information about the economy in an apparent broadening of the definition of state secret in recent years.
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