Chinese Vendor Imprisoned for Espionage: A Deep Dive into Foreign Data Collection in Railway Networks

Chinese seller imprisoned for sharing train data with international parties, says State Security Ministry.

The ministry reports that a Chinese firm was lured by a profitable deal to collect data, which was later classified as 'intelligence information'.

Time: 05

China carried out the execution of a scientist accused of espionage in 2016, as highlighted in a documentary that unveiled 10 astonishing cases.

The report indicates that in late 2020, an unidentified Chinese IT firm secured a business deal to gather electronic signal data across China's extensive railway systems. This contract was awarded by an international company, which previously specialized in market research prior to branching out into the Chinese railway sector to offer technical support services.

According to the ministry, the international firm, hindered by Covid restrictions in Beijing from deploying its staff to China, delegated its tasks to local Chinese contractors. The ministry also discovered that the company's client base included various foreign intelligence services, military and defense entities, as well as government agencies.

The report mentioned that the Chinese firm recognized the possibility of hidden agendas from the foreign company. Nevertheless, lured by the promise of a profitable deal, it proceeded to purchase and set up the equipment as stipulated in the foreign company's contract. It then gathered data at designated sites and carried out both mobile testing and data collection across various cities and along high-speed railway routes as directed by the foreign client.

The department reported that the initiative amassed 500 gigabytes of data over a month, encompassing information from Internet of Things signals, mobile and rail communications, and secure networks.