Former Taiwanese Colonel Gets 20-Year Prison Sentence for Spying for China

A Taiwanese air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet lands at an air force base in Hsinchu, northern Taiwan, on April 9, 2023. Jameson Wu/AFP via Getty Images

A high court in Taiwan’s southern Kaohsiung City has convicted a retired air force colonel of operating an espionage network on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Liu Sheng-shu was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Oct. 25 for his espionage activities carried out from 2013 to 2021.

Given the national security implications of the case, the High Prosecutors’ Office in Kaohsiung delivered its verdict via video conferencing, withholding most of the information from the public.

In April, the court charged Mr. Liu and six active air force and navy officers with violating the Classified National Security Information Act.

The investigation started in January when Mr. Liu and three active military officers were held incommunicado, and three other active lieutenant commanders were released on bail ranging from NT$100,000 to NT$200,000 ($3,080 to $6,170).

For years, Taiwan has been a target of espionage by the Chinese regime, which asserts the island nation as part of China despite never having ruled it. Beijing has vowed to take Taiwan by force, if necessary. The CCP has increased the frequency and scale of incursions into Taiwan’s airspace while conducting more military exercises surrounding the nation. Chinese espionage and infiltration through the efforts of the United Front Work Department are widespread in the country.

Members of the UFWD are involved in political meddling, seeking to manipulate, corrupt, or pressure politicians and influential individuals in foreign countries to back CCP interests and suppress criticism of Beijing. Their primary focus includes expanding international networks and recruiting non-professional intelligence personnel.

Recruited in China

According to the verdict, Mr. Liu was recruited by the Chinese intelligence when he started a business in China after he retired from the air force in 2013.

He was tasked to develop a spy network in Taiwan, recruiting individuals with military affiliations, and obtaining military intelligence.

Mr. Liu recruited six officers from Taiwan’s army, navy, and air force, with the payments for military secrets to the Chinese side varying from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

The court sentenced two military officers, a married couple surnamed Sun and Liu, to 19.5 years and 20.5 years, respectively. Major Gong, who confessed during the trial, was sentenced to 3.5 years for delivering three pieces of military intelligence; Major Deng to two years for providing one piece of military secret; Major Liu was acquitted. A man surnamed Lin, who assisted in setting up shell companies, was sentenced to six months in prison under the Company Act and was given the option to pay a fine instead.

Mr. Sun was initially recruited due to his considerable debts, and he subsequently convinced his wife to partake in espionage activities. Together, the couple supplied more than a dozen pieces of military information, earning over $30,000, making their involvement the most severe offense in the case. Notably, Ms. Liu received a harsher sentence than the primary suspect, Liu Sheng-Shu.

CCP Infiltration in Military

Yu Tsung-Chi, the former dean of the Political Warfare College at the National Defense University in Taipei, has raised concerns about the pervasive pro-communist narratives in Taiwan’s media, fearing that this could erode the sense of “us versus them” among the armed forces, ultimately posing a covert threat to national defense security.

He told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times that to address this, he has urged the Ministry of National Defense to encourage soldiers to read more anti-communist material, thereby promoting internal cohesion within the military.

In response to the Chinese regime’s infiltration into the military, Mr. Yu has called on the military’s legal department to develop a comprehensive solution for espionage cases. He suggested that individuals involved in intelligence theft within the military, regardless of the punishment’s severity, should have their lifetime pensions confiscated.

He underscored that this issue has historical roots dating back to the Civil War, when the Republic of China, the ruling government after the Qing Dynasty, retreated to Taiwan, and the CCP took over mainland China.

“There have been eight espionage cases involving 19 individuals from January to August this year alone,” he said.

Mr. Yu stressed the importance of defense units gathering and centralizing espionage cases. He emphasized the need for a thorough evaluation of various case types and creating a comprehensive theoretical framework for handling all espionage cases. He suggested producing a research report to develop targeted and effective responses to counteract the infiltration of communist influences within the military.

‘Betrayal’

Yu Beichen, a retired major general and a Taiwanese politician, advised both current and former military personnel to maintain a clear understanding of their primary role, which is to safeguard national security.

“It is a lifelong shame to engage in the CCP’s united front operations or any activities detrimental to the country,” he told The Epoch Times.

According to Mr. Yu Beichen, soldiers have a dual responsibility: to uphold secrecy and combat espionage, including the mission of exposing these spies.

He also pointed out that dealing with military personnel who have become spies should involve suspending their salaries and imposing severe penalties.

Furthermore, he said, “Legislators amending the law must emphasize strict penalties, as this constitutes a betrayal of the nation.”

Yuan Shih-Kang and Zhong Yuan contributed to this report.