Taiwan detains military officer and Chinese double agent

By Daria Carmon

Two people were placed into government custody in Taiwan early this week as Taiwanese investigators probe the most recent espionage attack on Taiwan’s defense system. One is a military intelligence officer from Taiwan who allegedly transferred classified data to another Taiwanese man with business interests in China. This business man then allegedly passed the information to Chinese intelligence.
The two suspects were arrested on Sunday after investigators witnessed them purportedly exchanging classified information in Taipei. The investigators also searched the men’s homes after they were taken into custody.
On Monday, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry confirmed the arrests, while the Ministry’s spokesman, Yu Sy-tue, maintained that the case had only a limited impact on military activities. Despite this assurance, the Taipei-based newspaper China Times has named this case as one of “the highest-level espionage cases involving the military in 20 years.”
The news of these arrests follows several years of security breaches in the Taiwanese intelligence apparatus. Many of the previous cases also involved Chinese agents, as well the illegal sale of weapons information. Tensions between Taiwan and China have eased recently, though. Economic relations between the two countries are growing strong, though military and political contact are still cold.