A Chinese soldier has been expelled from the army after he was found ‘sharing military secrets’ with his family, friends and even gaming buddies online with his smartphone.
The soldier, known by his surname Chen, was discharged on Tuesday from China’s Eastern Theatre Command, a major division of the People’s Liberation Army that oversees operations in the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea and Western Pacific.
Chen was caught discussing military secrets and sharing army-related photos with his family and friends via messengers, the authorities said on Tuesday. He also revealed his identity as a serviceman while playing online games on his phone.
A Chinese soldier has been expelled from the army after he was found ‘sharing military secrets’ with his family, friends and even gaming buddies online with his smartphone
Chinese soldiers are seen having their mobile phones inspected after Chen was caught ‘leaking military secrets’, according to an article published by Eastern Theatre Command
The soldier, known by his surname Chen, was discharged on Tuesday from China’s Eastern Theatre Command. He is pictured having his badges removed following his expulsion
The incident was revealed by the Chinese military body this week in an article published on its official account on Chinese social media platform WeChat. The alleged ‘military secrets’ leaked by Chen remain disclosed.
Chen had purchased a second-hand mobile phone online without permission, the report said.
He was said to have discussed military secrets and shared photos from the barracks with his family members and friends on multiple occasions via the unauthorised device.
The soldier also revealed army-related information and his service identity with strangers while playing mobile games online, according to the article.
The incident was revealed by the Chinese military body this week in an article published on its official account on Chinese social media platform WeChat. Chen is seen in a separate photo sitting in a room while burying his face in his hands, seemingly regretting his actions
The theatre command held a ‘warning assembly’ (pictured) following Chen’s expulsion
Chen was said to have discussed military secrets and shared photos from the barracks with his family members and friends on multiple occasions via the unauthorised device. The picture shows the Chinese soldier writing a formal confession as part of his punishment
The theatre command held a ‘warning assembly’ following Chen’s expulsion. He is pictured having his badges removed while being criticised in front of other soldiers.
Chen is seen in a separate photo sitting in a room while burying his face in his hands, seemingly regretting his actions. Another one shows him writing a confession as part of his punishment.
Zhang Peng, an instructor of the army, said in the assembly that leaking military secrets brings ‘great harm to the armed forces and individual soldiers.
‘Chief officials [in the army] must reinforce the sense of responsibility, concentrate on the army’s various tasks, never have one second of negligence and relaxation,’ he was quoted saying in the article.
The file photo shows Chinese soldiers attending a ceremony to commemorate the 89th anniversary of the ‘September 18 incident’, which marked Japan’s full-scale invasion of China and the beginning of the 14 years of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression at the September 18th History Museum on September 18 in Shenyang, Liaoning
It comes as the Eastern Theatre Command has been conducting recent military drills near the sensitive Taiwan Strait area, fuelling tensions between Beijing and the self-ruled island.
China’s People’s Liberation Army also flew 18 warplanes over the mid-line of the Strait on Friday, followed by another 19 on Saturday, while US envoy Keith Krach was visiting Taiwan.
China claims democratically-run Taiwan as its own territory, to be taken by force if needed, a threat the island has lived with since 1949, when defeated Kuomintang, or Nationalist, forces fled there after their defeat by the Communists in the Chinese civil war.
China has been angered by stepped-up US support for Taiwan, including two visits in as many months by top officials, one in August by Health Secretary Alex Azar and the other last week by Keith Krach, the undersecretary for economic affairs.
In addition, the United States is planning major new arms sales to Taiwan. China views all these steps as effectively being US support for Taiwan independence, with the eventual establishment of a Republic of Taiwan, a red line for Beijing.