A state-run Chinese newspaper yesterday called on Beijing to clarify rumors that its ambassador to Iceland has been held for leaking intelligence to Japan, throwing a rare official spotlight on such cases.
The envoy, Ma Jisheng (馬繼生), left Iceland mysteriously in January and has not been replaced, with Beijing only telling Reykjavik that he was unable to return for “personal reasons,” according to the Icelandic foreign ministry.
The Global Times, which is run by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece the People’s Daily, said Beijing should clear the air, citing the need to raise the awareness of espionage risks among the Chinese public.
Few spying cases involving Chinese officials have been reported in the country’s media, it said.
“In actuality, reporting such incidents will educate many people by letting them know how close those manipulators of overseas intelligence agencies are to us,” the newspaper said in an editorial.
Hong Kong’s Ming Pao, citing New York-based Chinese-language Web site Mingjing News, reported that Ma and his wife “were suspected of giving state secrets to Japan and were arrested [in early February] by the Ministry of State Security.”
Ma was a high-ranking diplomat in Japan from 2004 to 2008.
The Chinese government has so far failed to shed light on Ma’s whereabouts and a foreign ministry spokesman on Wednesday told reporters: “I have no information on this.”
The Global Times said that those engaged in espionage are increasingly likely to be caught due to advances in investigation technology.
“All the potential high-risk groups should recognize this point, which might help them refrain from selling information when they are about to cross the red line,” the report said.
“If it is confirmed that Ma has been caught, we hope that his story will one day appear on media to serve as a warning for others,” the report added.
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