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First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Taiwan charges four with national security violations for alleged spying for China
The four defendants were among five people expelled from Lai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) – which advocates for Taiwan's sovereignty – last month for suspected espionage read more Security guards stand guard in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, Taiwan. File image/ Reuters Taiwanese prosecutors charged on Tuesday four people, including a former staffer in President Lai Ching-te's office, for violating national security after they allegedly spied for China. The four defendants were among five people expelled from Lai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) – which advocates for Taiwan's sovereignty – last month for suspected espionage. The fifth person is still under investigation, a prosecutor told AFP. China claims democratic self-ruled Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it. Taipei accuses Beijing of using espionage and infiltration to weaken its defences. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The four people have been charged with violating the Classified National Security Information Protection Act and National Security Act after they allegedly shared state secrets with China, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office said in a statement. Other alleged offences include money laundering. The espionage happened over a 'prolonged time', included the sharing of 'important and sensitive diplomatic information' and caused 'significant harm to national security', prosecutors said. Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences ranging from five to more than 18 years, and the confiscation of more than NT$8.3 million (US$277,000) in illicit gains. The heftiest sentence is for a defendant surnamed Huang, who allegedly transmitted information to China 'via a specific messaging app'. Huang previously worked for a New Taipei City councillor, the semi-official Central News Agency (CNA) said. Among the other defendants is a person surnamed Ho, who CNA said is a former aide to National Security Council chief Joseph Wu when he was foreign minister. Huang and Ho have denied the allegations against them, prosecutors said. The other two defendants, including the person who had worked for Lai when he was vice president and then president, have confessed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for decades, but experts say the threat to Taiwan is greater given the risk of a Chinese invasion. Taiwan's National Security Bureau said previously 64 people were prosecuted for Chinese espionage last year, compared with 48 in 2023 and 10 in 2022. In 2024, they included 15 veterans and 28 active service members, with prison sentences reaching as high as 20 years.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Taiwan charges 4 ex-ruling party members with spying for China
TAIPEI: Taiwanese prosecutors charged on Tuesday four people, including a former staffer in President Lai Ching-te's office, for violating national security after they allegedly spied for China. The four defendants were among five people expelled from Lai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) -- which advocates for Taiwan's sovereignty -- last month for suspected espionage. The fifth person is still under investigation, a prosecutor told AFP. China claims democratic self-ruled Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it. Taipei accuses Beijing of using espionage and infiltration to weaken its defences. The four people have been charged with violating the Classified National Security Information Protection Act and National Security Act after they allegedly shared state secrets with China, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office said in a statement. Other alleged offences include money laundering. The espionage happened over a 'prolonged time', included the sharing of 'important and sensitive diplomatic information' and caused 'significant harm to national security', prosecutors said. Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences ranging from five to more than 18 years, and the confiscation of more than NT$8.3 million (US$277,000) in illicit gains. The heftiest sentence is for a defendant surnamed Huang, who allegedly transmitted information to China 'via a specific messaging app'. Huang previously worked for a New Taipei City councillor, the semi-official Central News Agency (CNA) said. Among the other defendants is a person surnamed Ho, who CNA said is a former aide to National Security Council chief Joseph Wu when he was foreign minister. Huang and Ho have denied the allegations against them, prosecutors said. The other two defendants, including the person who had worked for Lai when he was vice president and then president, have confessed. Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for decades, but experts say the threat to Taiwan is greater given the risk of a Chinese invasion. Taiwan's National Security Bureau said previously 64 people were prosecuted for Chinese espionage last year, compared with 48 in 2023 and 10 in 2022. In 2024, they included 15 veterans and 28 active service members, with prison sentences reaching as high as 20 years.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Taiwan indicts president's aide on charge of spying for China
The suspects were recruited by two people previously working for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. PHOTO: REUTERS Prosecutors in Taiwan have indicted two former officials, one of whom worked closely with the president, for leaking national security information to China, as Taipei pushes back against Beijing's growing efforts to undermine the self-ruled democracy. Prosecutors in the capital brought charges against a former political aide working in President Lai Ching-te's office and a secretary who previously worked for former foreign minister Joseph Wu, according to a statement from the Taipei District Prosecutors Office on June 10 . Both are Taiwan nationals. Under the Classified National Security Information Protection Act, prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of at least five and nine years respectively. The suspects were recruited by two people previously working for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which advocates for Taiwan's recognition as a sovereign country separate from China. The recruiters had allegedly collected national security information for China in exchange for rewards amounting to NT$6 million (S$257,760) and NT$2.2 million each, prosecutors said. Prosecutors are seeking jail terms of more than 18½ y ears for one of the former DPP officials, and eight years for the other. One of the suspects is also under investigation for building an espionage network in Taiwan. Beijing has in recent years steadily increased its military and political pressure on Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory to be brought under its control, by force if necessary. The number of Chinese fighter jets crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait – an unofficial boundary separating the two sides – has more than doubled from the same period a year before, according to the Defence Ministry in Taipei. China has also carried out at least seven sets of military drills around Taiwan since Mr Lai took office in May 2024, a pace not seen in previous years. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
