Taiwan claims to have arrested Chinese spy

Jun 20, 2008, 0:51 GMT

Taipei - Taiwan has arrested a retired Taiwan military officer who has been selling military secrets to China, local press reported Friday.

Colonel Wang Hui-hsien, 42, a former member of the Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB), was detained early Friday after being questioned by prosecutors of the Taiwan High Court, the Central News Agency and the United Daily News reported.

Wang was a section chief in MIB in charge of analyzing intelligence on China. He retired six years ago and went to China to do business and was allegedly recruited by national security agents in Shanghai to spy for China.

Wang leaked information to China about deployment of MIB spies in China. When he returned to Taiwan in 2005, he tried to recruit fellow retired MIB members to spy for China, inviting them to meals and discussing working for China.

Following a tip, police arrested Wang Thursday at his Taipei home.

Prosecutor Wang Jen-kui questioned Wang Hui-hsien Thursday evening and remanded him into custody early Friday on charges of stealing national defence secrets.

Wang has confessed to passing information to China in exchange for convenience in doing business in China, the United Daily News said.

He has named to prosecutors two former MIB colleagues who helped him gather intelligence to give to China.

If convicted, Wang could face a maximum seven-year sentence for stealing state secrets.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 when the Chinese Nationalist government lost the Chinese Civil War and fled to Taiwan to set up its government-in-exile.

Although cross-strait tensions have eased since the 1980s, Taiwan and China still regard each other as enemies.