A CTi News reporter surnamed Lin (林) was on Jan. 17 detained and held incommunicado by the Ciaotou Prosecutors’ Office for allegedly funneling money from China into bribes to entice active-duty and retired military personnel to hand over sensitive information.
The prosecutors’ office said it executed search warrants on Lin, and nine active and retired military personnel, on Jan. 16. They detained Lin and five others incommunicado for alleged contraventions of the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) after questioning.
Lin was searched due to his alleged involvement in an ongoing case against a Marine Corps officer surnamed Chen (陳), who was indicted for allegedly receiving NT$210,000 to film a clip of himself pledging allegiance to China. Prosecutors found that Lin had allegedly transferred money to Chen, and other active and retired military personnel in exchange for military intelligence or classified information to be handed to Chinese contacts, and that Lin’s funding allegedly came from China.
News about Taiwanese — particularly military personnel — indicted on charges of involvement with Chinese infiltration and espionage is no longer rare in Taiwan. A report released last year by the National Security Bureau showed that the number grew from six in 2020 to 64 in 2024, and about 60 percent of the 159 people indicted between 2020 and 2024 were active or retired military personnel.
Lin is a reporter known for relentlessly following and posing tough questions to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians in the Legislative Yuan, and hosting a political commentary show focused on criticizing the party. For someone like Lin to be detained for alleged involvement in Chinese infiltration is fairly rare.
On one side, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus deputy whip Chang Chi-kai (張?楷) immediately called Lin an excellent reporter who scrutinizes the ruling party and said that detaining him is an act of “green terror,” likening the current situation to the White Terror period of authoritarian rule under the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime. He also said it was “yet another case” of political restriction of freedom of speech. Some online commentators called detaining a reporter who questions the DPP “political retaliation” and “censorship,” adding that it causes a “chilling effect.”
On the other side, people praised the prosecutors for detaining Lin and other suspected “Chinese collaborators in Taiwan,” while also raising concerns about the depth of Chinese infiltration into Taiwanese society, extending from high-ranking military officers to junior officers, and even into the media.
Unexpectedly, CTi News, a media outlet widely recognized for its pro-Beijing and China-friendly stance, on Jan. 18 issued a statement that the company was unaware of Lin’s alleged involvement in the case and had no comment. The KMT, which has openly supported CTi News and is pushing a bill for CTi News to regain its broadcast license, has also remained silent.
The Ministry of National Defense said it would not comment on the case, as judicial proceedings had already begun.
However, regardless of whether Lin is guilty of the alleged crimes threatening national security, the case has highlighted how China’s “united front” work and cognitive warfare are not as simple as many people believed.
China’s “united front” work against Taiwan is more complex, long-standing and refined — covertly weaving its influence into different walks of life, including the media, which could to some extent shape public opinion. The narratives might not always be positively promoting China, but instead aimed at creating, amplifying and exploiting internal disparities, eroding public trust in democratic institutions, and fostering cynicism or apathy to politics in Taiwan to provide the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its local collaborators with more opportunities to influence major decisions.
Therefore, no matter if the TPP or its supporters truly believe Lin is a victim of political persecution, Chang’s remark deliberately linking Lin’s detention to “freedom of speech” and his reporting style, while omitting that he allegedly engaged in financial transactions with several espionage suspects, is truly irresponsible and playing into the hands of the “united front.”
While it is important to enhance media literacy to deter misinformation, the government and experts should also help update the public’s knowledge on how the CCP’s cognitive warfare and infiltration methods have evolved, and how to prevent them. Moreover, if the court reaches a guilty verdict, the government should follow up by clearly explaining the case to the public to reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings and the legal proceedings being maliciously labeled as “political persecution.”
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