90 individuals awarded for contributions in safeguarding national security

Staff from the legal education promotion ream of the People's Procuratorate of Xinghua, East China's Jiangsu Province, go to Wenfeng Junior High School to teach students about national security through interactive Q&A sessions on April 14, 2025. (Photo/Xinhua)

China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) awarded about 90 individuals for their efforts in safeguarding national security, ranging from 16-year-old high school students to 70-year-old retired teachers, to mark the National Security Education Day that falls on Tuesday.

The recipients come from all walks of life, including PLA soldiers, teachers, doctors, engineers, civil servants, workers, students, farmers, fishermen and individual business owners, said the MSS in a statement.

National security agencies across the country provided both moral and material rewards to the recipients in accordance with the Anti-Espionage Law and Measures on Rewarding Citizens for Reporting Conduct Endangering National Security, it said.

Among them, a taxi driver surnamed Kang from the border region bravely fought against suspected foreign spies, disregarding his personal safety, and assisted in cracking down on a major espionage case, earning a special contribution award.

Wang, a film industry worker from East China's Shandong, promptly identified a significant leak risk and reported it to related authorities, receiving a major contribution award.

Lu, a fisherman from the coastal region, salvaged a foreign spying device from the sea, earning a major contribution award.

Xu, a university student from Beijing, reported someone selling state secrets and helped eliminate security risks in a timely manner, receiving a major contribution award.

Liu, a company employee from Northeast China's Liaoning Province, reported suspicious individuals photographing military facilities, earning an important contribution award. Shi, a scholar from East China's Zhejiang Province, discovered that foreign organizations were illegally stealing sensitive information and data from China, receiving an important contribution award.

The MSS said that those 90 individuals have "played an irreplaceable and important role" in discovering, preventing, stopping and punishing various activities that threaten national security.

Guided by the overall national security concept, these individuals, with a sense of "the greater good of the nation," a commitment to national righteousness and a focus on national security, have consciously fought against actions that threaten national security, the MSS said.

The ages, occupations and other information regarding the specific cases involved reveal that people from all walks of life are quietly supporting the national security work, Li Baiyang, an associate professor of intelligence studies with Nanjing University, told the Global Times.

In the work of national security, the timely discovery of hidden issues by the individuals is an important source of frontline clues, in addition to the core role of security agencies at all levels, he said.

On Tuesday, in observance of National Security Education Day, various themed activities were held to raise public awareness about the importance of safeguarding national security.

The Security Bureau of the Security Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, with its disciplined services, held a flag-raising ceremony at the Hong Kong Police College on Tuesday, China News Service reported.

Starting from April 12, the eight disciplined services and auxiliary services under the HK Security Bureau held open days on different weekends and holidays in April to enhance the public's understanding of the armed forces and enhance their awareness of safeguarding national security, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

On Monday, staff from the legal education promotion ream of the People's Procuratorate of Xinghua, East China's Jiangsu Province, went to Wenfeng Junior High School to teach students about national security through interactive Q&A sessions, according to Xinhua.

Li told the Global Times that, with the dedication and capability of national security agencies — along with proactive publicity efforts, a strong sense of appeal, attraction and influence has been fostered in safeguarding national security in recent years.

"More and more people are now able to consciously uphold national security, actively identify risks in society and promptly report them to the authorities. Public awareness and understanding of national security continue to grow," Li said.