The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office and the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) on Wednesday last week searched six military units and questioned suspects. On Friday they detained four retired military personnel and a diabolo instructor surnamed Lu (魯) on suspicion of forming a spy network for China. This case shows that China, which used to target senior military officers, has found a new way of infiltrating Taiwan: expanding recruitment to junior military personnel who have financial problems.
China has consistently launched espionage operations against Taiwan, with the aim of taking over the nation. These spy operations surged especially in 1987 when family members began being allowed to visit across the Strait and in 2008 with the opening of the “small three links” — direct postal, transportation and trade links between China and Taiwan.
The National Security Bureau (NSB) recorded at least 60 Chinese espionage cases from 2002 to 2017, and 42 of those were reported from 2009 to 2017. At least 44 cases were recorded by the MJIB from 2013 to 2019.
In the past decade, about 30 serving or retired Taiwanese military officers with the rank of captain or higher have been investigated and convicted of spying for China. Even a retired presidential security officer and a serving military police lieutenant colonel from the unit tasked with protecting the president were convicted for leaking sensitive information about President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) security to a Chinese intelligence agency.
The NSB estimates that there are about 5,000 Chinese spies in Taiwan. The Chinese espionage operations that have appeared in the news might be only the tip of the iceberg.
National security officers have said that Chinese intelligence agencies usually try to recruit Taiwanese for spying, mostly targeting high-ranking military and government officers using “honey traps” and financial incentives, or by gaining access to them through relatives and acquaintances or by befriending them on the Internet.
However, in last week’s case, the prosecutors’ office said that Lu was recruited by Chinese intelligence officers after retiring from the army. They allegedly offered him money to use his connections and friends to obtain classified materials and recruit others to form a spy network. Lu focused on pawnshops, money lenders and loan sharks near military bases to recruit more than 10 soldiers and officers who needed money or were having problems paying off their debts, offering them financial incentives for confidential information, the prosecutors’ office said.
It is of concern that even lower-ranking and junior officers are being targeted, while no Chinese intelligence personnel are detained or convicted in most spying cases. Another key issue is that China’s tactics are focused on “containing Taiwan with Taiwanese espionage.”
The Legislative Yuan in 2019 passed an amendment of the National Security Act (國家安全法) to raise the penalty for citizens who are recruited as spies. Those convicted face sentences of seven to 20 years in prison and a fine of NT$50 million to NT$100 million (US$1.6 million to US$3.19 million). Yet data from the High Prosecutors’ Office show that from 2014 to 2020, of the 137 people convicted as Chinese spies under the act, most were sentenced to six months in prison or less. The Institute for National Defense and Security Research has reported that the average punishment for those convicted of military espionage is 18 months in prison, nearly 13 times less than the average of 19 years in major European democracies and the US.
These lenient sentences impede efforts to deter spying. Besides the necessity of raising awareness among the public, legislative and judicial mechanisms should also be enhanced to ensure national security in Taiwan.
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