China Targets Lower-Ranking Taiwan Military Personnel in Espionage Campaign

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan’s defense minister has warned that China is broadening its espionage efforts by targeting lower-ranking military personnel through bribery and coercion. Analysts say illegal loans are being used to pressure soldiers into spying. Taiwan has introduced countermeasures, including financial rewards for reporting suspected agents.

Transcript

00:00Chinese espionage efforts are spreading to more targets.

00:03That's according to new reports from Taiwan's defense and national security agencies

00:07outlining Chinese infiltration in Taiwan's military.

00:30The new reports come amid a growing number of espionage cases within the ranks.

00:36The most recent of these included members of the military police and presidential guard.

00:412024 saw the largest number of people prosecuted for Chinese espionage in recent years,

00:47many of whom were active or retired military personnel.

00:50Several recent cases involved the use of illegal loans to soldiers in financial trouble.

01:00But China's efforts to infiltrate sensitive targets hasn't been limited to Taiwan.

01:18The U.S. military has also been dealing with recent cases of soldiers selling information to China.

01:24Even the U.K.'s Prince Andrew has been linked to an alleged Chinese spy.

01:27The prince is said to have sent letters to Chinese President Xi Jinping himself.

01:32While Taiwan remains a special target for China, it may also have a certain unexpected advantage.

01:52The country has put in place some special countermeasures,

01:56including financial rewards for turning in suspected spies.

02:00And officials say they might be working.

02:02The Defense Ministry says nearly 90 percent of new espionage cases among the ranks

02:06are reported by other military personnel.

02:09So while the total number of cases may be increasing,

02:12so too may be Taiwan's ability to discover them.

02:16Patrick Chun, Jaime Okon, and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.

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