The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday flatly rejected a report by the China-based Global Times that accused Taiwan of recruiting Chinese students as spies.
“The [Global Times] report was the same old ploy by China of using the media to manipulate public opinion. The purpose was to hit out at our goverment intelligence agencies, to cause division from within,” MND spokesperson Major General David Lo (羅紹和) said.
He said the charge against the Military Intelligence Bureau is not true. The bureau is mandated to undertake tasks for the needs of national security and must follow rules of the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法).
The ministry was responding to reports by the Global Times, which on Monday published the photographs of three alleged Taiwanese spies with their purported dates of birth and ID numbers, and accused them of recruiting Chinese students in Taiwan.
“Since 2009, Taiwanese spies have been more active in soliciting Chinese students studying in Taiwan,” the Global Times said.
The report said 40 recruitment cases have been uncovered and that Taiwanese intelligence officials encourage Chinese students to enter Chinese Communist Party and government agencies in a bid to obtain more intelligence.
One Taiwanese senior intelligence official, who declined to be named, said yesterday that China has never ceased to conduct espionage in Taiwan.
“The report is a case of the thief trying to cover his own escape by shouting for people to catch another thief,” the official said.
The National Security Bureau and the Mainland Affairs Council on Monday rejected the allegations.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) doubted the veracity of the report and questioned Beijing’s motives.
“The Chinese students came to Taiwan to study at universities. Upon returning home, they will have been inspired by Taiwan’s freedom, human rights and the values of our democracy,” Tsai said. “Therefore, China is using the Global Times to threaten its own students. It serves as a warning to them.”
Additional reporting by CNA
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