IIn November, a Taiwanese court heard charges that two active-duty soldiers had accepted bribes from Chinese agents to record a video declaring their loyalty to China and their intention to defect in the event of war. . The video reportedly made its way into Chinese propaganda materials.
Convicted on similar charges a few weeks later supported To a retired Army colonel. The colonel was found guilty of accepting monthly payments totaling more than NT$500,000 (about £12,500) in order to delay his retirement for years and act as a spy. According to local media reports, the colonel was also photographed holding a handwritten note pledging allegiance to the Chinese government’s cause of annexing Taiwan to the Chinese state.
“I, Shang Tian’en, hereby pledge to support the peaceful reunification of the two sides,” the memo said. “I will do my best in my current position to fulfill the glorious mission of promoting the peaceful reunification of our homeland.”
The cases are among dozens of espionage cases tried in recent years involving Taiwanese soldiers or veterans accused of spying for China.
Tensions between China (officially the People’s Republic of China (PRC)) and Taiwan (officially the Republic of China (ROC)) are at their highest in decades. The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims Taiwan is a province of China, and its leader Xi Jinping appears to have made “unification” a key element of its future legacy. The Chinese Communist Party has never ruled Taiwan. The party took control of mainland China after the 1949 civil war and overthrew the Kuomintang government led by the Kuomintang (Kuomintang), which then defected to Taiwan and established a government in exile. However, the Chinese Communist Party bases its claim on the historical ties between the two regions, including those dating back to the Qing Dynasty. Taiwan’s leaders maintain that the island is a sovereign nation and its future is for the people to decide.
Under Mr. Xi’s rule, China has stepped up coercive and coercive actions against Taiwan, with a view to eventual annexation. It carries out extensive gray zone military operations, cyber warfare, economic warfare, and cognitive warfare. At its root is an extensive and well-resourced network of spies and influence agents who seek to steal secrets, collect intelligence, sow discord, and undermine Taiwan’s democracy from within. It seems that there is.
In 2017, the Taiwanese government estimated that there were more than 5,000 spies working for China in Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said attempts by Chinese government intelligence agencies to recruit Taiwanese nationals were “substantial.”
“China is doing a lot to convince its people,” he said in December. “They had a significant impact.”
Some cases have involved Chinese nationals posing as businessmen with ties to Chinese Communist Party organizations known for conducting foreign espionage and influencing operations. . Extravagant dinner invitations and small gifts can escalate to international trips, financial payments, sexual incentives, and even be used as blackmail against the target.
In another high-profile case Retired Taiwanese military officials have been found guilty on charges related to the recruitment of Xie Xizhang, a Chinese national who allegedly cultivated a network of Chinese intelligence agents and assets over decades while undercover as a Hong Kong businessman. Ta. Xie is wanted by authorities and is believed to be overseas.
Not all military personnel are targeted in Taiwan. Politicians and community leaders are offered free trips to China and other inducements ahead of elections, and members of Taiwan’s Mongolian and Tibetan communities are recruited to provide personal information to the Chinese Communist Party. There are cases where it does. . It has even been discovered that a spy was working in the president’s security room. However, the sheer number of current and former military personnel being prosecuted raises serious concerns about the group of people who should perhaps be most loyal to Taiwan.
Dr. Shen Ming Shi, a researcher at Taiwan’s government-run think tank National Defense Security Research Institute, said there are several factors driving adoption. Some are ideological and related to Taiwan and China’s complicated history.
“Due to Chinese sentiment, they don’t think of China as an enemy and have a weak sense of hostility,” Shen said. Others are simply tempted by money and sex, or motivated by revenge for lack of treatment or promotion while on the job, he added. He says there was not always a full understanding of the seriousness of the work they were being conscripted into doing, and of the light punishments they had received in the past.
In about two-thirds of cases involving military personnel, the defendant has retired from the military. But Shen says this trend appears to be changing.
“Where once the focus was on retired generals, the focus is now increasingly on active duty, mid-level officers, or junior non-commissioned officers and soldiers. and assess grassroots support for the ruling party among officers and soldiers.
The temptation of high wages across the strait
Chen Shi is a 32-year-old Taiwanese national who joined foreign fighters in Ukraine this year. Now back in Taiwan, he is lobbying for better conditions and training for the Republic of China’s military. He said the Guardian’s morale was affected by China’s relentless war of recognition and the “outdated” leadership of the Republic of China’s military, which is historically rooted in the Kuomintang (KMT). Chiang Kai-shek, the former Kuomintang leader who oversaw decades of brutal martial law in Taiwan, always intended to one day retake the mainland.
“A military that has lost its spiritual beliefs and honor will have no concept of loyalty to the country and its people, and of course will not be able to withstand the temptation of high salaries across the Strait,” Chen told the Guardian. Ta.
He also suggested that complex issues surrounding Taiwanese identity have a special impact on the military.
“Who are they fighting for? For what? For Taiwan? Or for the morality of the Republic of China? Why fight against China, a country with the same language and ethnicity? ”
Observers believe that in the run-up to Taiwan’s presidential election in January, espionage cases are being promoted more than usual by government officials. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party campaigned on its stance against the Chinese government’s invasion. But analysts also believe the high number of infections shows authorities are catching up on the problem.
Defense journalist Tingting Liu said it was important that the traditionally closed military of the Republic of China was cooperating with prosecutors and the government to root out espionage.
“Usually it’s not easy for prosecutors or the National Security Agency to directly investigate the military, but the three parties are currently working very closely together,” she says. “Yes, the number of people being arrested is increasing, but it’s also because they’re stepping up their game.”
A Defense Ministry spokesperson said the country is comprehensively strengthening defense measures against the Chinese Communist Party’s “diverse means and methods of infiltration and intelligence gathering.” She said her recent arrest resulted primarily from a whistleblower report by other active-duty military personnel. She said this highlighted “the effectiveness of continuing defense education and heightened security vigilance.”
The government also strengthened national security laws, increased regular interrogations of key personnel, and tightened restrictions on retired military officers’ visits to China. Observers said there had been significant improvements in operational security and counterintelligence in recent years.
“There is no doubt that China is always trying different ways to harm Taiwan and looking for information that will benefit it,” Liu said. “But Taiwan is also working hard to arrest these people. This is a race against time, and these reported incidents show that the threat is still real. ”
