Top Chinese diplomats, military officers and scholars have been drawn into spying in recent years, a state newspaper warned on Thursday, in an editorial on the rumours surrounding the country’s ambassador to Iceland.  The Global Times said several of the cases had gone unreported, adding: “If it is confirmed that Ma [Jisheng] has been caught, we hope that his story will one day appear on media to serve as a warning for others.”  Ma had been due to return from China to Reykjavik this March but did not do so. The foreign ministry refused to comment on reports by a US-based Chinese-language news site that he and his wife had been arrested for passing intelligence to Japan, with spokesman Hong Lei saying he had no information on the matter.  Hong, speaking on Wednesday, also refused to comment on Ma’s whereabouts and would not say who is China’s current ambassador to Iceland. Ma, who began his posting to Reykjavik in December 2012, has twice served in China’s embassy in Tokyo.  Citing foreign media reports of Ma’s detention, the Chinese editorial said: “In recent years we have frequently witnessed vicious incidents where top Chinese diplomats, military officers and senior research fellows of thinktanks have been involved in espionage and selling intelligence. If Ma is confirmed to be involved in this case, that will be startling news.  “A number of major cases that startled the Chinese elite were not released to the public through the media. 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 editorial said perpetrators had “developed distorted values and indulged themselves, hankering after cash and a life of luxury, so they were easily targeted by foreign intelligence services”. It added that China had suffered more losses of intelligence in recent years, but that those responsible were increasingly likely to be caught given advances in technology.  The piece appeared on both the English and Chinese language websites of the Global Times newspaper, which is state-run but does not represent the official voice of the party.  In a separate development a former US military contractor in Hawaii was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on Wednesday for passing on national defence secrets to a Chinese national and illegally keeping classified documents at his home, Reuters reported.  Benjamin Pierce Bishop, a retired army lieutenant colonel assigned to the US Pacific Command on Oahu, had top security clearance. In a plea deal he admitted passing national defence secrets to his Chinese girlfriend. He had not disclosed the relationship to superiors.  Neither prosecutors nor the FBI indicated whether they believed the woman was working for Beijing.  Many countries have focused on cyber-crime and hacking in their public discussions of espionage in recent years. On Thursday a report by the US Senate armed services committee found that hackers associated with the Chinese government had repeatedly infiltrated the computer systems of US airlines, technology companies and other contractors involved in the movement of US troops and military equipment.  “These peacetime intrusions into the networks of key defence contractors are more evidence of China’s aggressive actions in cyberspace,” said the committee’s chairman, Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.  In May the US justice department indicted five Chinese military officials for cyber-spying. China said the charges were “extremely ridiculous”, with foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang adding: “For a long time American authorities have conducted large-scale, organised cyber-theft and cyber-espionage activities against foreign dignitaries, companies and individuals. This is already common knowledge.”
Global Times editorial follows disappearance of Ma Jisheng, envoy to Iceland, amid suggestions he handed secrets to Japan