The United States has raised concerns about China's recent call to encourage its citizens to participate in counter-espionage activities, closely monitoring the implementation of Beijing's

expanded anti-spying law. China's Ministry of State Security announced plans to establish a system that would encourage regular citizens to engage in counter-espionage work, including reporting suspicious activities and rewarding such efforts.

The expansion of China's counter-espionage law, effective from July, has drawn the attention of the United States, which warns that foreign companies operating in China may face repercussions for standard business activities. State Department spokesperson Matt Miller expressed concern about citizens spying on each other, stating that it raises significant alarm.

"We are closely monitoring the implementation of China's new counter-espionage law as we have been, which as written greatly expands the scope of what activities are considered espionage," Miller said during a daily news briefing.

In recent years, China has apprehended several individuals, both Chinese and foreign nationals, under suspicion of espionage. These actions have sparked international attention, with allegations of espionage and cyberattacks exchanged between Western nations, particularly the United States, and China, leading to a tense standoff. Photo by Maximiliano Hebel, Wikimedia commons.