Taiwanese soldiers charged with spying for China

Taiwanese prosecutors said on Friday they had charged four soldiers with photographing military information with their smartphones and passing it on to "Chinese agents."

They said the incidents occurred from 2022 and 2024.

Although Taiwan has had its own government since 1949, Beijing considers the island as part of its territory and has vowed to take it over one day, by force if necessary.

Alleged high payments

The prosecutors said the four defendants had been paid around NT$260,000 to NT$660,000 (€7,500-€18,900; $8,000-$20,000) "depending on the confidentiality level of the military information they provided."

Three of the soldiers were discharged from the army before a tipoff to the defense ministry led to an investigation launched in August this year, while the fourth was suspended in that month.

All four were serving soldiers when the alleged leaks occurred.

A conviction would carry a maximum prison sentence of seven years. 

Other cases

It is not the first time cases of espionage have been discovered among the Taiwanese armed forces.

In August, eight people, including some active-duty officers, were handed prison sentences ranging from 18 months to 13 years for gathering information for China in return for money.

In September, an ex-air force instructor was sentenced to 17 years in prison for "aiding the enemy" and delivering military secrets to China.

tj/rc (AFP, EFE)