A retired general and a senior Taiwanese officer were charged Friday, June 24 for their participation in the development of a network of spies for the benefit of China, announced the prosecution.
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Taipei and Beijing have spied on each other since the end of China’s civil war in 1949, when nationalists took refuge on the island after their defeat by the communists. The major general, whose surname is Chien, and a lieutenant colonel, Mr. Wei, have been charged with violating national security law, the Taipei District Procuratorate said. They are accused of having come to the aid of a Hong Kong man, named Tse, who works for an organization in Guangdong province, in southern China, linked to the Central Military Commission in Beijing, the same source said in a statement. communicated.
“Endangering national security”
Mr. Tse traveled to Taiwan under the guise of doing business to recruit retired officers there. He offered them meals and trips in order to use them to make contact with those on active duty. Mr. Chien and Wei in particular tried – without success – to recruit Chang Che-ping, a senior Air Force official who served as Taiwan’s deputy defense minister from July 2019 to June 2021, according to the press release. “The two defendants intended to endanger national security and develop a network for Chinese military institutions“.
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Chang Che-ping, currently strategic adviser to President Tsai Ing-wen, was suspected last year of having ties to the case. He was finally called as a witness and not as an accused. Mr. Tse stopped traveling to Taiwan after the incident came to light and is on Taiwan’s wanted list.
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