The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday charged Xiang Xin (向心), a suspected Chinese intelligence officer, and his wife, Kung Ching (龔青), with money laundering and breaches of the National Security Act (國家安全法) in a case related to self-professed Chinese spy William Wang Liqiang (王立強).
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said that the council respects the judiciary, declining to comment on an individual case.
The Chinese government has been using Taiwan’s democracy and freedoms to infiltrate society, Chiu said, adding that the government must tighten laws when necessary.
Photo: Chien Li-chung, Taipei Times
It is the first formal indictment of Xiang and Kung, who were stopped at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Nov. 24, 2019, when attempting to flee on an outbound flight, one day after Australian media aired interviews with Wang.
Wang told reporters that he had conducted espionage in Taiwan, saying that Xiang was China’s spy directing espionage activities, intelligence gathering and covert operations in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The couple had registered China Innovation Investment Ltd (中國創新投資) in Taipei, with Xiang as executive director and Kung as acting director, prosecutors said, adding that they invested in real estate, purchasing three luxury condominium units in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義).
Over the past decade, the couple had illegally transferred about NT$740 million (US$26.03 million at the current exchange rate), mainly from the Shanghai-based Guotai Investment Holding Group (國太投資), prosecutors said.
In 2018, a Shanghai court sentenced Guotai Investment executives to prison for terms ranging from 12 years to life after they were found guilty of earning 40 billion yuan (US$6.11 billion at the current exchange rate) from illegal investment schemes. The business was dissolved.
Yesterday’s indictment said that Xiang and Kung laundered money for Guotai Investment executives.
The money first went to a Hong Kong company owned by the couple, before being transferred to China Innovation Investment in Taiwan.
In addition to breaches of national security, the couple was charged with breaches of the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法).
Prosecutors have filed to confiscate the couple’s condominiums.
An investigation is ongoing into their alleged espionage activities and intelligence gathering for China.
Prosecutors said that the Australian government is cooperating with the investigation into Wang’s allegations against Xiang.
After the indictment was announced, the couple released a statement, in which they denied all of the charges.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft