Beijing, Nov 20 (IANS): Authorities in China's Jilin province have claimed to have cracked an espionage case in which a foreigner tried to spy on military installations, a media report said on Friday.

The "suspicious-looking" man was spotted "sneaking" around with a telescope by a farmer in Changbai county in October. Police soon found and interrogated the suspect, who possessed a foreign passport, a high-powered telescope and a camera with photos of several military installations, the Global Times reported.

Security authorities also found a hand-drawn map of frontline forces in his underwear. The man was later identified as a spy attempting to steal military information.

The nationality of the man was not disclosed.

On November 1, Jilin launched a counter-espionage hotline through which citizens can report suspected espionage cases.

According to military sources, three Japanese spies were caught in China recently, two of whom confessed that they were entrusted with missions by Japan's Public Security Intelligence Agency.

China adopted the Counterespionage Law in 2014, stipulating that foreign organisations and individuals conducting espionage activities or instigating and sponsoring others conducting them will be punished.