Taiwan: Father-son duo held guilty of spying for China, imprisoned for 8 years each

A Taiwanese father and son have both been handed eight years in prison for gathering secret military data and attempting to create a spying “organization” for China.

In recent years, Beijing has increased political and military pressure on Taiwan, which it says is its own.

Following a civil war, the two sides parted ways in 1949 and have been spies on one another ever since.

In exchange for large sums of money, the Tainan branch of the Taiwan High Court claimed that the two were “induced by” China to gather “confidential defence documents” since 2019 and “recruit active servicemen to develop an organisation”.

It added in a statement that businessmen Huang Lung-lung and his son Huang Sheng-yu, who were previously located in China, were found guilty of buying off two soldiers from an air defense and missile unit in order to get them to divulge sensitive military intelligence.

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The soldiers, a lieutenant and a sergeant, were also given prison terms of seven and six years, respectively, by the court. The type of information that was released was not further described.

The Huangs were paid NT$1.7 million ($52,160) for spying for China, and it was claimed that they “disregarded national security” and that money had been seized.

The two were still at large while an appeal against the decision might be considered.

The latest in a recent spate of eavesdropping cases on the island was the sentencing on Tuesday.

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In November, ten soldiers were charged with espionage for China; two of them had recorded a video in which they promised to “surrender” to the Chinese military.

In October, a former air force colonel was found guilty of espionage for Beijing and giving out sensitive national security data, earning him a 20-year prison sentence.