A retired Taiwanese Army Colonel surnamed Liu, a retired Rear Admiral surnamed Sun, and a man surnamed Chu were arrested in Taiwan yesterday, March 14th, when the trio was indicted for charges of espionage. The three men allegedly violated Taiwan’s National Security Act and established an organization aiding China.
The Taiwanese High Prosecutors Office branch in Kaohsiung claimed that the two former military personnel were deemed a flight risk and detained them for three months. The trial for the three individuals is currently ongoing.
Authorities began investigating the three individuals when they were recruited by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to utilize their connections to find other retired, high-ranking officers to travel to the United States and China between 2017 and 2023. The CCP paid all travel expenses related to the officers’ travel during this time.
The individuals attempted to influence Taiwanese people with United Front Work Department talking points such as “one country, two systems” and “peaceful unification,” according to prosecutors. Authorities questioned at least twenty retired high-ranking officers during the investigation.
Further reports suggested Sun and Liu ran events in China to campaign for select Taiwanese candidates in the presidential and legislative elections in January.
