Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) says it has apprehended its first Chinese spy within Taiwan’s borders. That was the word from the bureau’s Deputy Director General Wang Der-ling, who was answering questions at the legislature on Thursday.
In the past, Chinese intelligence agencies have recruited Taiwanese businesspeople and members of the military who were overseas. This is the first case in which the bureau has apprehended a Chinese spy operating within Taiwan’s borders.
The Chinese national in question is Zhen Xiaojiang. Investigators say that he recruited a retired Taiwanese air force colonel, Chou Chih-li. Using Chou as a main contact, Zhen was able to obtain military secrets and pass them along to intelligence units in China.
When asked on Thursday about Zhen Xiaojiang’s background, the NSB’s Wang declined to give more details. He said the bureau has been working on the case for a long time, and now it’s finally been handed over to Taiwan’s judicial system.
"This case has taken a long time to break, because we’ve been waiting for one person, and with the arrival of that individual, we’ve apprehended him," Wang said.
Meanwhile, a retired general who ran an unsuccessful bid for Kinmen county chief, Hsu Nai-chuan, has also been detained by Taipei prosecutors in connection with the widening espionage ring. He is being held incommunicado.
When asked why Hsu was allowed to run for office, Wang responded by saying that without adequate evidence, it was impossible to detain him. Wang said that the NSB did not take politics or the election into consideration.