Taipei (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Taiwan’s spy story could undercut closer ties between Taipei and Beijing. A retired Taiwanese agent said that at least ten moles from the mainland have penetrated Taiwan’s national security apparatus. This has soured relations between Beijing and Taipei, already weakened by the arrest on 9 February of a Taiwanese general, accused of espionage on behalf of the mainland.
“Some of the suspected Chinese agents have not yet been arrested as the authorities are short of solid evidence against them, even though they have been closely monitored for some time,” the retired agent told the China Times.
Others have been left to believe that they are safe “for strategic reasons”, he said, implying that they could be compromised by Taiwan’s security.
Still, this did not stop Army Major General Lo Hsien-che, who was recruited by Beijing whilst stationed in Thailand between 2002 and 2005, the Defence Ministry said.
At the time of his arrest, the 51-year-old was head of the army's Telecommunications and Electronic Information Department. Officials at the Defence Ministry said that Lo’s action might be the worst case of espionage in favour of China in decades. Many in the Ministry are concerned about what secrets the general might have passed onto the mainland.
The case has come at a time of improving Sino-Taiwanese relations. Governments on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have signed important agreements on economic cooperation and trade was growing.
Taiwan has been de facto independent since 1949, when Mao’s armies defeated nationalist forces. However, mainland China continues to view the island as a rebel province that must be brought back into the national fold.