Taiwan's National Security Breached: Ex-Servicemen Convicted of Spying for China

Former Military Personnel Sentenced for Selling Sensitive Documents to Chinese Intelligence

Taipei, Taiwan – In a significant verdict impacting national security, the Taipei District Court has found four former military personnel guilty of espionage, revealing a breach of trust and potential compromise of sensitive information. The ruling, delivered on Wednesday, underscores the ongoing challenges Taiwan faces in safeguarding its national secrets from foreign interference.

The court confirmed that the individuals had been convicted of violating national security laws and accepting bribes, highlighting the severity of their actions. The court's statement condemned the betrayal, stating that as trained members of the military, they were expected to be loyal to Taiwan. Instead, the defendants are guilty of accepting bribes and secretly photographing sensitive internal documents, thus endangering national security.

The individuals, identified by their last names as Lai (賴), Li (黎), Lin (林), and Chen (陳), were initially indicted in December 2024. They received sentences ranging from seven years to five years and ten months, along with orders to repay their illegal earnings.

According to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), three of the individuals were associated with the 211th Military Police Battalion, which is responsible for the security of the Presidential Office, while the fourth served in the MND's Information, Communications, and Electronic Force Command.

Prosecutors revealed that Lai and Chen began sharing documents with a middleman working for Chinese intelligence in April 2022, while still serving in the military. They were allegedly recruited and paid by a Taiwanese man surnamed Huang (黃), who is currently at large.

Initially, Chen photographed the documents, which were then passed to Huang or other Chinese operatives by Lai. After Lai was reassigned, he recruited Li to continue photographing documents, who later handed the task to Lin before retiring in February last year.

Prosecutors have estimated that Lai received NT$460,000 (US$14,201), Chen NT$450,000, Li NT$664,100, and Lin NT$265,900 for their actions. The investigation was launched in August 2024 after the MND received a tip-off from a soldier. The sentences are subject to appeal.