Retired lieutenant general James Liu (劉湘濱) in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) published yesterday blasted China’s attempts at espionage as “unprofessional,” saying he was infuriated over the alleged abuse of trust by retired lieutenant general Kao An-kuo (高安國), who he said tried to recruit him for his pro-unification network.
Liu, who also served as National Security Council secretary-general and deputy commanding general of the army, said he had only met Kao twice in the past four decades, once on Sept. 8, 2023, and again on April 24 last year.
Both visits were sudden, with the first being an invitation to meet, and the second due to Kao wanting to ask Liu’s opinions about resolving cross-strait tensions and maintaining peace, Liu said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
He attended the first meeting out of respect for a former officer, he said.
During the second, he provided Kao with copies of documents he had published before, he said.
Liu said that he was unaware that Kao had allegedly been turned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), only becoming aware later that Kao had listed him as the head of strategy and planning for his “Anti-Independence and Pro-Unification Coalition.”
“I was infuriated that both meetings were premeditated efforts to convince others that I was part of his group,” he said.
Those recruited by the CCP, including retired military officers, are as despicable as cockroaches, Liu said, adding that such incidents also reflect poorly on the military.
Commenting on the fourfold increase in media coverage of CCP spy cases involving the military last year, Liu said it also reflects Taiwan’s poor counterintelligence.
Asked how Kao, a decorated officer whose father had fought against the CCP during the Chinese Civil War, might have been turned, Liu said it was an issue of money.
If the CCP had not offered cash, Kao would not be turned, Liu said.
Chinese intelligence relies on honey traps and bribes to tempt retired military officers, who should distance themselves from such temptations, he said.
Retired military personnel should be alert if former colleagues with whom they had long fallen out of contact suddenly visit, Liu said, adding that any wish to offer expertise to better the nation should be expressed via proper channels.
Mainland Council Affairs Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) on Thursday said it was concerning that 85 percent of national security-related incidents involved retired military and police officers.
Kao was charged on Monday with breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), becoming the highest-ranked retired military officer to be accused of treason.
The Kao case is similar to the Rehabilitation Alliance, founded by 62-year-old retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), who has been accused of recruiting retired army personnel to develop organizations in Taiwan for China, Liang said.
Liang called on the judiciary and prosecution to give such cases greater attention, as they suggest direct CCP involvement.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated