The Taipei District Court yesterday sentenced Chinese intelligence officer Zhen Xiaojiang (鎮小江), who recruited Taiwanese military personnel as part of a spy ring, to four years in jail for violations of the National Security Act (國家安全法).
Five other people, all Taiwanese military officers, who were also found guilty in yesterday’s ruling, were given more lenient sentences.
The court gave retired army major-general Hsu Nai-chuan (許乃權) a three-year jail term, while retired air force colonel Chou Chih-li (周自立) received a suspended 18-month sentence with five years of probation; retired army officer Yang Jung-hua (楊榮華) a suspended five-month term with two years of probation; retired air force pilot Sung Chia-lu (宋嘉祿) a suspended 12-month sentence with four years of probation; and retired air force pilot Ma Po-le (馬伯樂) a suspended four-month term with two years of probation.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
According to the ruling, the sentences for all except Hsu and Chou can be commuted to fines.
Yang, Sung and Ma will not be required to serve time in prison due to their suspended sentences.
The trial was held in chambers and was closed to the media due to the sensitive nature of military and state security information and materials being discussed in the case.
The judge said Zhen succeeded in recruiting a significant number of Taiwanese military personnel to work for China, and inflicted major damage to national security and the operations of the armed forces.
Zhen, who retired from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at the rank of captain, was last year apprehended by authorities for operating what was said to be the largest Chinese spy ring in Taiwan in years.
Reports said Zhen joined the Chinese Ministry of State Security after retiring from the PLA, obtained Hong Kong residency in 2005 and then traveled to Taiwan numerous times on business and tourist visas.
During his visits, Zhen recruited Taiwanese military personnel by offering financial rewards and other inducements, asking them for classified information on the nation’s radar stations, key defense installations and intelligence on US-sourced advanced aircraft and other weapons systems.
A judicial investigation found that Zhen’s spy ring gathered and passed on to China classified information on the Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jet, the ultra-high-frequency radar installation on Leshan (樂山) in Hsinchu County and other weapons platforms.
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
‘IRRESPONSIBLE’: Beijing’s constant disruption of the ‘status quo’ in the Taiwan Strait has damaged peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region, MOFA said The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China’s launch of another military drill around Taiwan, saying such actions are a “unilateral provocation” that destabilizes regional peace and stability. China should immediately stop the irresponsible and provocative actions, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said, after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) yesterday announced the start of a new round of joint exercises around Taiwan by the army, navy and air force, which it said were approaching “from different directions.” Code-named “Justice Mission 2025,” the exercises would be conducted in the Taiwan Strait and in areas north, southwest, southeast and east of Taiwan
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS