A Ministry of National Defense official yesterday denied knowledge of an alleged Taiwanese spy who had reportedly hacked into sensitive government computer systems in China.
China's state-run Global Times reported on Tuesday that Chinese officials were looking for Lee Fang-jung (李芳榮), said to be an agent of Taiwan's military intelligence who planted "Trojan" horse programs in computer systems belonging to unnamed economic, military and diplomatic institutions to steal classified information.
A "Trojan" horse program gives a user remote access to the contents of his target's computer.
The Global Times attributed its information to an unidentified official in a "related" Chinese department. It did not identify the department, but the implication was that it was part of the Chinese intelligence apparatus.
The newspaper said Lee was in Taiwan, but that he had previously been in Moscow, where he might have carried out the hacking.
In response, Vice Minister of National Defense Lin Chen-yi (
"I have no information about the issue so I would not like to comment on it," Lin said.
"Even if it were true, we are not worried because the Military Intelligence Bureau has its own mechanisms to protect its agents," Lin said.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office said yesterday it had taken note of the news report and was collating additional details on the affair.
"We have noticed related reports," office spokesman Yang Yi (楊毅) said. "For years, Taiwanese intelligence agencies have stolen secret network information on a broad scale from the mainland and caused vile consequences."
In Taipei, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Sandy Yen (
"The Chinese government actually has a `hacking department,' and it is the most well-organized hacking organization in the world. While they are stealing all kinds of intelligence and high-tech secrets from other countries, how can they complain when their own secrets are stolen?" Yen said.
Yen said that many countries had complained about the activities of Chinese hackers. Her research showed that one-third of the world's computer viruses were created by Chinese hackers.
China recently came under fire from Germany, Britain and the US for alleged hacking activities of its own. Unidentified officials in the three countries say government and military networks there have been broken into by hackers backed by the Chinese army.
"Under the circumstances, how can they blame other people for stealing their secrets or damaging their databases by using the same methods?" Yen said.
Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
RSS