TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan said on Tuesday it had detained a Chinese citizen on suspicion of espionage after breaking up a plot to entice serving and retired military personal to collect classified information.
Democratically-governed Taiwan, which China views as its territory, has complained that Beijing has stepped up its spying efforts on the island, including in the presidential office, and has taken forceful measures to try and stop it.
The Justice Ministry’s Investigation Bureau said that a Chinese citizen with Hong Kong residency, who it identified only by their family name Ding, had acted under the instructions of the Chinese military to collect classified information.
Ding, who it said visited Taiwan under the pretext of business or tourism activities, recruited two retired military officers as core members of the spying group to then recruit serving personnel, the bureau said.
Ding, along with six others, have now been detained, it added. It gave no other details, including when exactly Ding was detained or their gender.
It was not immediately possible to identify a legal or family representative for comment. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This case is unusual in that Ding actually came to Taiwan given previously China generally used “local collaborators” to carry out their spying activities, the bureau said.
In a separate statement, Taiwan’s defence ministry said that two serving officers had been indicted as part of the same probe.
“Given the current security situation, the Chinese communists have never ceased in their efforts to infiltrate and undermine Taiwan and are actively developing organisations on the island,” the ministry said.
“The ministry strongly condemns the treasonous acts of a small number of officers and soldiers who violated their duty of loyalty.”
China has increased its military pressure against Taiwan in recent years, including holding war games.
Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. The government in Taipei strongly rejects the Chinese sovereignty claim and vows to defend its democracy and freedom.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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