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.
A return to power for former US president Donald Trump would pose grave risks to Taiwan’s security, autonomy and the broader stability of the Indo-Pacific region. The stakes have never been higher as China aggressively escalates its pressure on Taiwan, deploying economic, military and psychological tactics aimed at subjugating the nation under Beijing’s control. The US has long acted as Taiwan’s foremost security partner, a bulwark against Chinese expansionism in the region. However, a second Trump presidency could upend decades of US commitments, introducing unpredictability that could embolden Beijing and severely compromise Taiwan’s position. While president, Trump’s foreign policy reflected a transactional
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has prioritized modernizing the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to rival the US military, with many experts believing he would not act on Taiwan until the PLA is fully prepared to confront US forces. At the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th Party Congress in 2022, Xi emphasized accelerating this modernization, setting 2027 — the PLA’s centennial — as the new target, replacing the previous 2035 goal. US intelligence agencies said that Xi has directed the PLA to be ready for a potential invasion of Taiwan by 2027, although no decision on launching an attack had been made. Whether
A chip made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) was found on a Huawei Technologies Co artificial intelligence (AI) processor, indicating a possible breach of US export restrictions that have been in place since 2019 on sensitive tech to the Chinese firm and others. The incident has triggered significant concern in the IT industry, as it appears that proxy buyers are acting on behalf of restricted Chinese companies to bypass the US rules, which are intended to protect its national security. Canada-based research firm TechInsights conducted a die analysis of the Huawei Ascend 910B AI Trainer, releasing its findings on Oct.
In honor of President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday, my longtime friend and colleague John Tkacik wrote an excellent op-ed reassessing Carter’s derecognition of Taipei. But I would like to add my own thoughts on this often-misunderstood president. During Carter’s single term as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, despite numerous foreign policy and domestic challenges, he is widely recognized for brokering the historic 1978 Camp David Accords that ended the state of war between Egypt and Israel after more than three decades of hostilities. It is considered one of the most significant diplomatic achievements of the 20th century.
RSS