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\n Published on
\n 12\/06\/2026 – 11:41 GMT+2\n <\/p>\n
China accused foreign governments of enlisting sea turtles to create underwater maps of China’s coastline in an attempt to steal sensitive data.<\/p>\n
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Beijing posted on social media its claim that international spy agencies are using “new types of espionage equipment” fitted to turtles and fish.<\/p>\n
“Relatively large marine animals with sensors attached have been discovered in certain waters of China,” the Ministry of State Security said, in a section titled “spy turtles, spy fish”.<\/p>\n
The creatures were found “swimming in a specific area, collecting sensitive data about the marine environment such as water temperature, salinity and ocean current, transmitting it overseas via satellite”, it said.<\/p>\n
While China did not name any country or agency in particular, it believes the data collected would be used to “identify weak points in China’s coastal defences, posing a serious threat to China’s national security”, according to the ministry.<\/p>\n
The ministry urged proper security checks on equipment received from abroad, and called on fishers to report any unusual buoys or devices found at sea.<\/p>\n
China has traded espionage accusations with multiple governments in recent years. Beijing denounced convictions of two men in the United Kingdom for spying on Hong Kong dissidents<\/a> as a “political farce” last month, accusing the country of “erroneous practices.”<\/p>\n