Former Taiwan Solidarity Union legislator Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) and retired navy major general Hsia Fu-hsiang (夏復翔) were on Thursday released on bail after they were questioned by prosecutors in relation to alleged spying for China. The case is concerning due to their high profile. Hsia previously commanded a destroyer and was deputy director of the Navy Command Headquarters’ Political Warfare Department. The two had access to sensitive information and have contacts in positions of influence.
There have been several high-profile spy cases in the past few years, affecting public and military morale. The High Court on May 13 last year acquitted New Party member Wang Ping-chung (王炳忠) and others who were accused of receiving funding from entities controlled by the Chinese military for the purpose of spreading Beijing’s propaganda. Taipei prosecutor Lin Da (林達) and Taiwan Forever Society chairman Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) at the time criticized the acquittal, saying that “judicial officials and legislation have not kept up” with China’s disinformation campaigns.
In June, a retired major general surnamed Chien (錢) and a retired lieutenant colonel surnamed Wei (魏) were charged with helping Beijing create a spy network among active-duty service members. In November, the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office charged former army colonel Hsiang Te-en (向德恩) with corruption, accusing him of pledging allegiance to China and accepting money to work as a spy. The Ministry of National Defense at the time said it would “continue to bolster counterespionage education for officers, as well as rank-and-file soldiers, and would work closely with national security agencies to thwart Chinese intelligence-gathering efforts.”
The prevalence of such cases shows not enough is being done to combat espionage, particularly in the military. Following Hsiang’s case, Institute of National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said military espionage poses a serious threat to national security and urged the government to reinstate military trials or to have military prosecutors participate in espionage investigations.
This could be a good approach, as punishments for espionage are much harsher under the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法), but the government should also look at cutting off such activity before it can occur in the first place. For it to occur, two conditions must be met: Contact between Taiwanese officials and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents must be established, and an exchange of money and information must take place. Ensuring that no such contacts take place would require prohibiting active-duty and recently retired military and political officials from traveling to China, scrutinizing and monitoring their travel and boosting the National Security Bureau’s means to monitor the movements and exchanges of Chinese in Taiwan.
Cutting off money and information exchanges would require that bank accounts of those with access to sensitive information be audited, and any large, atypical transfers or deposits be investigated. Information access should also be compartmentalized, with officials having access only to the information they need to perform their duties. Active-duty service members’ online and telephone communications with Chinese should also be monitored. Some people might say the measures would run against personal freedom, but anyone who chooses a career in politics or the military should know that positions in these fields, especially decisionmaking roles and positions with access to sensitive information, come with restrictions to protect national security.
Taiwan is in the process of reforming its military. This involves longer conscription terms, investment in the domestic development of defense systems and measures to boost professionalism. These are all good measures, but they would be for nothing if spying is not addressed.
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
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