Taiwan convicts ex-presidential aide of spying for China, four others sentenced
Court hands four men linked to the ruling DPP prison terms ranging from four to 10 years for leaking state secrets; the longest sentence goes to Huang Chu-jung.
A Taiwan district court convicted a former presidential aide and three other officials employed by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party of spying for China, handing prison terms ranging from four to 10 years. The longest sentence, 10 years, went to Huang Chu-jung, a former assistant to a Taipei city councillor. Prosecutors had sought up to 18 years in prison.
According to the court, Huang instructed a foreign office staffer, Ho Jen-chieh, to obtain information from Wu, who was then the foreign minister. Huang then wrote reports using this information and sent them to Chinese intelligence using encrypted software. Ho was sentenced to eight years and two months in jail. Huang was also accused of working with another former DPP staffer, Chiu Shih-yuan, to collect additional information. Chiu reportedly sourced material from Wu Shangyu, who was an aide to Lai Ching-te, the current president, serving Lai when he was vice president and again after Lai became president in 2024. Wu Shangyu allegedly passed on details about Lai’s itineraries during travels.
The court noted that Huang received nearly NT$5 million from the Chinese government, while Chiu was paid more than NT$2 million. It described the espionage as involving information that was “very long period” and that the information spied on included “important diplomatic intelligence,” which the court said worsened Taiwan’s already difficult diplomatic situation.
The convictions fit into a broader pattern of espionage prosecutions as Taiwan intensifies efforts to identify and prosecute alleged Chinese spies on its soil. In 2024, Taiwan’s National Security Bureau said 64 people were prosecuted for spying for China, a marked increase from the 44 espionage cases registered by Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice between 2013 and 2019. The issue has followed broader cross-strait tensions, with the island’s political divide intensifying over Beijing’s pressure on Taiwan and its claims over the island. President Lai Ching-te’s administration has positioned itself as wary of Beijing, while critics have accused his DPP of using espionage cases to crack down on political opponents. Beijing, for its part, has repeatedly criticised Lai, calling him a “destroyer of cross-straits peace.”