President Xi and his authorities have defended counter-espionage measures against criticism from the West carlos barria/ReutersThe local government in charge of the Chinese capital is to begin offering large cash rewards to people who can help it snare foreign spies, according to state media. The Beijing National Security Bureau is said to be willing to hand over between £1,200 and £59,000 to whistleblowers as part of a crackdown on suspected espionage from hostile nations, the state-run Beijing Daily newspaper said today. The paper warned readers that China’s “openness to the world” in recent years, its increased cultural diversity and a greater willingness to embrace western attitudes had increased the risk of foreign agents gaining access to government information. It said that the need for the implementation of tighter surveillance measures on a national scale was “pressing”. Three years ago, President…

Source: The Times April 10, 2017 07:52 UTC