Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) yesterday said he has full confidence in the military’s counterespionage capabilities in response to a foreign media report that Chinese spies had infiltrated the nation’s military to steal defense technologies and plans.
“The nation’s armed forces have comprehensive protective measures in place to guard against Chinese espionage,” Chiu told reporters on the sidelines of a legislative session.
The military’s counterintelligence efforts include training to encourage military personnel to report initial contact with suspected spies and reward those who do so, Chiu said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The Ministry of National Defense investigates reports of suspected espionage, he said, adding that the measures have proven successful over the years.
Chiu’s comments came after a Reuters special feature, published on Monday, described several espionage cases and “how Beijing allegedly sought out commanders in Taiwan’s military and induced them to become spies.”
Chinese officials were also able to “extract details of high-tech weapons and gain insights into defense planning” through personnel from Taiwan’s military over the past 10 years, the report said.
Citing a Reuters review of court records and reports from Taiwan’s official news agencies, the report said that in the past decade, at least 21 serving or retired Taiwanese officers with the rank of captain or above have been convicted of spying for China.
At least nine other serving or retired members of the armed forces are currently on trial or being investigated on suspicion of having had contact with spies from China, the report said.
The ministry on Tuesday said that no confidential military intelligence had been leaked in these cases, as all of the interactions had been detected in the early stages.
Chiu attended yesterday’s legislative session to brief lawmakers on the military’s response measures amid increasing military coercion from Beijing.
In his report, Chiu said Chinese People’s Liberation Army aircraft have made more than 940 incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone since January.
In response, Taiwan’s military has continued to bolster its defense capabilities and enhance its weapons’ range, precision and mobility, based on the nation’s asymmetrical warfare plan, the report said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
RSS