Three Taiwanese affiliated with the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) were yesterday charged with developing a spy network to infiltrate the Taiwanese military, contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法).
The Kaohsiung branch of the High Prosecutors’ Office charged Wen Lung (溫瓏), who runs a business in China, along with two retired Taiwanese military officers, Chu Hsin-yu (朱新瑜) and Chiang Chiung-lin (江瓊麟), both members of the CUPP’s Shih Chung chapter.
Wen started a business in China in 2016 to import agricultural technology and specialty crops from Taiwan for the Chinese market, prosecutors said, alleging that he was recruited by Beijing’s United Front Work Department to target Taiwanese.
Photo: Pao Chien-hsin, Taipei Times
Wen had made several media appearances touting the benefits of doing business in China, and urging Taiwanese to work there, the indictment showed.
He got to know Chiang and Chu and allegedly invited them on all-expenses-paid trips to China, it said.
Wen arranged for the two retired military officers to meet with “united front” officials, and the duo allegedly promised to use their personal connections and networks in Taiwan to recruit military personnel as spies and procure confidential materials to pass on to their Chinese handlers, prosecutors said.
The trio allegedly worked to form a spy network in Taiwan including both retired and active Taiwan military personnel, prosecutors said.
Law enforcement officers in May raided residences in Kaohsiung and other cities to gather evidence and summon the trio for questioning.
The trio have been charged under Article 2 of the National Security Act, which prohibits a person from working for China, Hong Kong, Macau or foreign hostile forces to “fund, direct or develop an organization,” prosecutors said.
The act also prohibits “spying on or collecting confidential documents, messages, articles or electromagnetic records that are for official use.”
During questioning, the trio admitted to having met with united front officials and other Chinese intelligence officers, prosecutors said.
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