Taiwan imposes prison sentences of up to 13 years on 8 military officers for spying for China

The Taiwanese Supreme Court has convicted eight Taiwanese military officers of spying for China in return for financial gain.

The prison sentences for these officials range from 18 months to 13 years, making this one of Taiwan's biggest espionage cases in recent years.

According to experts, this case reflects a change in Chinese espionage tactics in Taiwan.

In a statement, the court said the defendants were “willing to collect information for China that led to the disclosure of important secrets” and that “they were seduced with money.”

It turned out that Chen Yuxin, who had fled to China, had contacted and recruited the defendants at key military locations to build a spy network for China.

Timothy Heath, a senior international defense researcher at the RAND Corporation, told VOA in an email: “The impact could have been severe if Taiwan's authorities had not stopped the spying and interception of military assets such as a helicopter in a timely manner.”

“It is demoralizing to read that Taiwanese soldiers are voluntarily making videos declaring their willingness to surrender to China,” he said.

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In addition, these military officers were accused of planning a flight in a CH-47 Chinook military helicopter to a Chinese aircraft carrier in the Taiwan Strait and filming a video showing that they would surrender to Beijing in the event of war, the Taiwan-based Central News Agency reported.

As Bloomberg reported, China allegedly used virtual currencies to pay these defendants.

Earlier this week, Taiwan's Cabinet announced a 7.7 percent increase in defense spending to $20.25 billion in 2025.

China has claimed democratic Taiwan as its territory and increased its military presence and political pressure in the Taiwan region. Since then, Taiwan has regularly tracked several Chinese military aircraft through its region.

Last month, a Taiwanese sergeant working at a naval training center was charged with allegedly taking photographs and passing confidential defense information to China.

In June, the court upheld the sentences of two retired Taiwanese Air Force officers for helping or attempting to help China recruit intelligence agents in Taiwan.

(With contributions from agencies)