- A Taiwanese court has sentenced eight soldiers to prison
- They spied on behalf of China
- Ten people were initially charged with espionage last year
A Taiwanese court has sentenced eight soldiers to prison for spying on behalf of China in exchange for substantial sums of money.
Retired military officers offered bribes of up to 700,000 Taiwan dollars ($21,900; £16,700) to recruit active-duty personnel into a Chinese spy network.
The most severe sentence, 13 years, was handed to a key recruiter.
A lieutenant-colonel involved in a plot to defect to China by helicopter received a nine-year sentence, while another soldier filmed an instructional video on surrendering to Chinese forces.
China views Taiwan as a breakaway province and has repeatedly threatened to use force to reunify it. The two sides have been engaged in espionage activities since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
Ten people were initially charged with espionage last year, with eight now convicted. One individual was acquitted, and a retired officer remains at large.
The court emphasized that the soldiers were motivated by greed, stating, “Their actions violated their duty to the country and seriously endangered national security.”
Taiwan has recently highlighted Beijing’s increased espionage efforts, with the sentencing of the eight soldiers being the latest in a series of cases.
Last month, a navy sergeant was accused of leaking confidential defense information to China. Additionally, Taiwan has expressed concern over the growing number of Chinese fighter jet flights near the island.
In response to these threats, Taiwanese President William Lai urged the nation to unite and defend its sovereignty and democracy.
He made this statement during a commemoration of the 66th anniversary of China’s attack on Taiwan’s Kinmen islands.
