Lawmakers are reacting to the news that a retired military officer and chair of a small political party in Taiwan, Chu Hung-yi, was indicted along with six others on charges of spying for China. Chu and his co-defendants are accused of gathering intelligence on military targets and also the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the unofficial U.S. embassy.
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00:00A retired military officer, singing the patriotic song of Taiwan's military academy.
00:13But this veteran, Qu Hongyi, has been indicted along with six others.
00:18The charges they face?
00:19Colluding with members of China's military to plan attacks inside Taiwan, potentially
00:23including the unofficial U.S. embassy.
00:26It's one of several cases of active and retired military personnel in Taiwan being accused
00:30of espionage for China.
00:46Qu is accused of receiving more than US$91,000 to gather intelligence and recruit others
00:52to carry out attacks on Taiwan's military and political leaders in conjunction with
00:56the Chinese invasion.
00:57Qu and others allegedly gathered photos and other intelligence on military bases in southern
01:02Taiwan's Pingtung County, Alishan and the country's center, and even the unofficial
01:07U.S. embassy in Taipei, known as the American Institute in Taiwan, or AIT.
01:12Qu may not be the first military veteran to be accused of spying for China, but the alleged
01:17planning of armed attacks, not only against Taiwanese targets, but potentially even American
01:23ones, is just one of the factors that makes this particular case so unique.
01:28Qu's case is also unique because of his political activities.
01:32He established a small political party in 2023.
01:35The Interior Ministry says it may now be dissolved under a law banning parties that pose national
01:40security threats.
01:41While no member of Qu's party has ever held office, his background in both the military
01:45and politics has lawmakers on both sides of the aisle concerned.
02:15Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council has said if the allegations are true, the veterans
02:24involved will lose their pensions.
02:26With an increasing number of espionage cases involving Taiwan's veterans, there is growing
02:30unease that some individuals who once dedicated their careers to defending the nation might
02:36now pose a threat to its security.
02:38Lian Wang, Chris Goran and Chelsea Wu for Taiwan Plus.