Beijing’s spy agency ‘destroyed large number’ of Taiwan intelligence networks
- State security ministry says more than 1,000 cases of Taiwanese espionage were uncovered in crackdown, with spies ‘severely punished’
In a post on WeChat on Tuesday, the Ministry of State Security said the cases were revealed in a series of special operations launched in recent years and that it had continued to “strike hard” against spying activities.
It said the cases involved espionage and the theft of state secrets, and it had destroyed “a large number of spy intelligence networks” set up by Taiwanese in mainland China.
“[We have] severely punished spies who carried out intelligence theft, infiltration and sabotage activities, in accordance with the law, effectively safeguarding the security of our country’s core secrets,” the ministry said in the post.
It made specific mention of the arrest of Taiwanese political activist Yang Chih-yuan, which it called “an innovation in the law enforcement and judicial practice” of holding Taiwan independence elements criminally responsible for their suspected acts of secession.
The ministry accused Yang of being a “Taiwan independence” leader and said his arrest had “dealt a heavy blow and become a strong deterrent” to pro-independence separatist forces.