Footage of a Chinese general discussing sensitive spying cases has been leaked onto video-sharing site YouTube in what appears to be a failure of secrecy for the usually tight-lipped military.
It was not clear when or where Jin Yinan made the comments and China's Defence Ministry did not respond yesterday to questions about the video.
Though some of the cases had been announced, few details had been released, and other instances involving the military had been entirely secret.
Among the spying cases Jin discussed was that of former ambassador to South Korea Li Bin, who was sentenced to seven years for corruption.
Jin said Li had been discovered passing secrets to South Korea that compromised China's position in North Korean nuclear disarmament talks, but the allegations were too embarrassing to make public and graft charges were brought instead.
"What nation's ambassador serves as another country's spy?" Jin asked.
Similar treatment was handed out to the former head of China's nuclear power programme, Kang Rixin, who was sentenced to life in prison last November on charges of corruption.
Jin said Kang had peddled secrets about China's civilian nuclear programme to a foreign nation that he did not identify but that was too sensitive to bring up in court.
Kang, a member of the Communist Party's powerful Central Committee, was one of the highest-ranking officials to be involved in spying, Jin said.
His arrest was a major shock to the party leadership, Jin said.
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