Both the Ministry of National Defense and the National Security Bureau (NSB) yesterday dismissed as a “media allegation” a report published by a local media outlet saying that a former director of Taiwan’s defense mission in the US, Major General Li Hsien-sheng (黎賢聖), had close ties to a female Chinese agent, leading to suspicions that sensitive information about the nation’s US weapons procurement program had been leaked to China.
The Chinese-language Apple Daily yesterday reported that an investigation by the bureau suggested that the 51-year-old Li, who is married and has two children, is suspected of carrying on an extra-marital affair with a Chinese woman during his stint in the US.
A US intelligence agency became aware of the situation and put the couple under surveillance to track their activities, as intelligence agents knew that the Chinese woman was conducting espionage missions in the US, according to the Apple Daily.
Local media speculated on the possibility of Taiwan’s national security being compromised as Li, as the head of Taiwan’s defense mission in Washington at the time, was in charge of liaising with his US counterparts on a number of major weapons procurement programs.
By virtue of his position as director of the defense mission, Li was responsible for negotiating with the US military on upgrades to F16A/B jets, the proposed sale of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles to Taiwan, the nation’s purchase of a long-range early warning radar system and other major arms deals.
Li was removed from his post after he failed a lie detector test in May this year.
Local media reported that Li subsequently failed follow-up polygraph tests conducted by the NSB and the Military Intelligence Bureau at least five times.
NSB Director-General Lee Hsiang-chou (李翔宙) yesterday confirmed that the bureau was involved in an inquiry into Li’s case.
“But no detail can be divulged, because it is an ongoing investigation. We hope people can wait for the outcome of the investigation and the judicial ruling. This case must be treated with care and prudence. It should not be reported on based on conjecture and chasing shadows in the dark,” Lee said.
Defense Ministry spokesman Major General David Lo (羅紹和) said no evidence has been found that indicates Li had betrayed his country and passed military secrets on to China.
He dismissed the Apple Daily report as over-dramatic and containing speculations, which may mislead the public.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to