The Ministry of National Defense yesterday confirmed a media report that said an air force major has been detained on suspicion of leaking confidential information gathered from E-2 Hawkeye early warning aircraft to Chinese nationals.
The Chinese-language United Daily News reported yesterday that an air force major surnamed Hau (郝), who served in the electronic warfare unit at Pingtung Air Force Base, allegedly delivered confidential information gathered from the E-2s to Chinese nationals through a Taiwanese civilian. Hau has been charged with breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), the report added.
The ministry said in a press release yesterday that the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office’s Greater Kaohsiung branch on Sept. 25 applied to detain Hau, which was granted.
 
                    Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
The military’s security unit became concerned about Hau and referred the case to prosecutors for further investigation in June, the press release said, adding that Hau was the only suspect, and that media reports saying more than 10 military personnel were involved were inaccurate.
According to the United Daily News report, prosecutors raided Hau’s office and residence. They also found “unclear sources of funds” in his bank accounts.
The ministry, citing a gag order because the case is under investigation, said it would not comment further.
The air force procured four E-2T aircraft from the US in 1995. After adding two more E-2K planes in 2006, it currently has six Hawkeyes in service. In 2010 two E-2Ts were upgraded to E-2Ks.

PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,

REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.

UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention