Story highlights Two Chinese men have been jailed for selling military intelligence

Material includes hundreds of photos of China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning

They were jailed for six to eight years

(CNN) Two Chinese men have been jailed for selling military intelligence, including hundreds of photos of China's first aircraft carrier, to foreign spies, state media reported.

According to the Dalian Daily, the two men, surnamed Han and Zhang, were sentenced to eight and six years in prison respectively earlier this year.

The report said that Han, 30, was approached by a person claiming to be a journalist via the instant messaging app WeChat.

The "reporter" assigned Han to work in a military base, taking photos of "sensitive areas" of a major military project with his phone in the name of news gathering.

Last summer, he traveled to Beijing and Liaoning, in China's northeast, to take photos, including images of exhibits at a national defense technology promotion show.