Authorities in China carried out special investigations of over 3,000 meteorological stations across more than 20 provinces, “among which hundreds of sites had been found transmitting meteorological data to overseas in real time,” the agency said on social media. More than 10 meteorological agents with foreign links were also investigated in the nationwide inspection. According to the statement, some projects were “directly funded by foreign governments."
The tighter reins on data have sent chills through the international business community, as overseas firms remain wary of getting caught in the regulatory crosshairs despite Beijing’s efforts to assure that it is “open” to foreign businesses.
Last month, Hiroshi Nishiyama, a Japanese executive of the pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma, was formally charged in China on allegations of espionage. He had been detained in Beijing by Chinese authorities in March, a move that had shocked the Japanese business community and damaged ties between the two Asian neighbors.
A week earlier, Australian journalist Chéng Lěi, a former news anchor at Chinese state media television channel CGTN, was released after more than three years of imprisonment in China on national security charges.
Another Australian citizen, Yáng Héngjūn, remains behind bars since January 2019 on vague espionage charges after a closed-door trial. His family released a letter pleading with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to negotiate with Beijing for his release.