Former Chinese student Zhou Hongxu (周泓旭) was detained incommunicado on suspicion of recruiting people for a spy ring while enrolled at a Taipei university and trying to coerce government officials into passing on classified materials.
The Taipei District Court yesterday cited the risk of 29-year-old Zhou fleeing the nation and an ongoing investigation.
Prosecutors and officers of the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau National Security Section on Thursday raided Zhou’s rented apartment in Taipei, confiscating his computer and mobile phone.
Screengrab from Facebook
Zhou was taken into custody for questioning by prosecutors, who said there was sufficient evidence to charge him with violating the National Security Act (國家安全法)
He had tried to develop a spy ring as a student and attempted to obtain classified materials from universities and government agencies, prosecutors said.
In 2009, Zhou, then 21 and enrolled at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, reportedly came to Taiwan as an exchange student for a business and finance program at New Taipei City’s Tamkang University.
Zhou later enrolled in a master of business administration program at Taipei-based National Chengchi University (NCCU) from September 2012 to July last year and returned to China after obtaining his degree.
Last month, Zhou returned to Taiwan on an “investment and business” visa to work at a firm in Taipei, officials said.
His Facebook page is full of a photographs documenting his travels around the nation and attending various events, as he was reportedly active in campus networking activities, and had accumulated more than 1,400 friends on the social network.
Prosecutors said that Zhou tried to entice a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official with a US dollar reward and an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan, in exchange for classified materials that would be delivered to a contact in Japan.
Bureau officials said they believe Zhou was instructed by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) to enroll at NCCU, where he was to actively make friends and develop a spy ring, adding that he had tried to recruit students and government officials.
“There have been 55 Chinese espionage cases since 2008, but that figure is only the tip of the iceberg,” said a bureau official investigating the case, who asked not to be named. “China has sent numerous operatives under different covers to infiltrate our society and government agencies.”
Zhou’s is the first known case of a Chinese student being investigated for espionage since they were allowed to enroll at Taiwanese universities during the administration of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday said its policies on Chinese students remained unchanged, despite Zhou’s case.
“However, Chinese students studying in Taiwan should abide by our laws and make learning their priority,” the council said, adding that it would respect authorities’ handling of the case.
Urging both sides of the Taiwan Strait to cherish the long-term achievements of student exchanges, the council said the government would continue efforts to attract Chinese students, in a bid to promote mutual understanding between young people on both sides of the Strait and to facilitate cross-strait peace.
Separately yesterday, TAO spokesman spokesman Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) said in Beijing that “the Taiwan authority’s accusation against the office on this matter is pure fabrication intended to stir up trouble.”
“This has come at a time when Taiwanese independence forces have been hyping up a ‘serious infiltration by Chinese spies in Taiwan,’ so we question the motives behind the case,” he said.
“Taiwan has interfered in normal cross-strait exchanges between schools, and now it is making a big deal about a Chinese student there,” Ma Xiaoguang said. “This will only further damage the goodwill between compatriots and harm educational exchange programs, resulting in the cross-strait relationship deteriorating.”
Additional reporting by Stacy Hsu and CNA
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS