China says it has foiled Taiwan spy plots and accuses suspect of backing Hong Kong protests

Report by state broadcaster CCTV says Lee Meng-chu, who was detained in Shenzhen last year, was a separatist who was caught with military intelligence

Tsai Ing-wen’s government is accused of encouraging ‘independence activities’ and ‘destroying peace and stability’

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Spying suspect Lee Meng-Chu was detained in Shenzhen last year. Photo: CCTV

Published: 9:48pm, 11 Oct 2020Updated: 11:17pm, 11 Oct 2020

China says it has cracked hundreds of espionage cases and caught many Taiwanese spies in a special initiative called “Thunder 2020”, state media reported on Sunday.

Official broadcaster China Central Television also accused Tsai Ing-wen’s government of enhancing “independence activities and destroying peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” since coming to power in 2016.

The report singled out one Taiwanese man, Lee Meng-Chu, saying he was a spy who meddled in Hong Kong affairs.

Last year, Lee was reported to be under detention for “activities that endangered state security” after crossing the border from Hong Kong to Shenzhen.

The special segment on the programme Focus Talk said that Lee had been detained by national security agents on August 20 last year and found he had videos and photos of military drills in Shenzhen Bay as well as posters that were “anti-China and supported Hong Kong riots”.

It said he was caught with photos that “could be used to analyse the military’s personnel, equipment scale and military might” as he tried to return to Hong Kong.