Retired lieutenant general James Liu (劉湘濱) in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) published yesterday blasted China’s attempts at espionage as “unprofessional,” saying he was infuriated over the alleged abuse of trust by retired lieutenant general Kao An-kuo (高安國), who he said tried to recruit him for his pro-unification network.
Liu, who also served as National Security Council secretary-general and deputy commanding general of the army, said he had only met Kao twice in the past four decades, once on Sept. 8, 2023, and again on April 24 last year.
Both visits were sudden, with the first being an invitation to meet, and the second due to Kao wanting to ask Liu’s opinions about resolving cross-strait tensions and maintaining peace, Liu said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
He attended the first meeting out of respect for a former officer, he said.
During the second, he provided Kao with copies of documents he had published before, he said.
Liu said that he was unaware that Kao had allegedly been turned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), only becoming aware later that Kao had listed him as the head of strategy and planning for his “Anti-Independence and Pro-Unification Coalition.”
“I was infuriated that both meetings were premeditated efforts to convince others that I was part of his group,” he said.
Those recruited by the CCP, including retired military officers, are as despicable as cockroaches, Liu said, adding that such incidents also reflect poorly on the military.
Commenting on the fourfold increase in media coverage of CCP spy cases involving the military last year, Liu said it also reflects Taiwan’s poor counterintelligence.
Asked how Kao, a decorated officer whose father had fought against the CCP during the Chinese Civil War, might have been turned, Liu said it was an issue of money.
If the CCP had not offered cash, Kao would not be turned, Liu said.
Chinese intelligence relies on honey traps and bribes to tempt retired military officers, who should distance themselves from such temptations, he said.
Retired military personnel should be alert if former colleagues with whom they had long fallen out of contact suddenly visit, Liu said, adding that any wish to offer expertise to better the nation should be expressed via proper channels.
Mainland Council Affairs Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) on Thursday said it was concerning that 85 percent of national security-related incidents involved retired military and police officers.
Kao was charged on Monday with breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), becoming the highest-ranked retired military officer to be accused of treason.
The Kao case is similar to the Rehabilitation Alliance, founded by 62-year-old retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), who has been accused of recruiting retired army personnel to develop organizations in Taiwan for China, Liang said.
Liang called on the judiciary and prosecution to give such cases greater attention, as they suggest direct CCP involvement.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe
RSS