Taiwan’s defense minister has warned that China is broadening its espionage efforts by targeting lower-ranking military personnel through bribery and coercion. Analysts say illegal loans are being used to pressure soldiers into spying. Taiwan has introduced countermeasures, including financial rewards for reporting suspected agents.
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00:00Chinese espionage efforts are spreading to more targets.
00:03That's according to new reports from Taiwan's defense and national security agencies
00:07outlining Chinese infiltration in Taiwan's military.
00:30The new reports come amid a growing number of espionage cases within the ranks.
00:36The most recent of these included members of the military police and presidential guard.
00:412024 saw the largest number of people prosecuted for Chinese espionage in recent years,
00:47many of whom were active or retired military personnel.
00:50Several recent cases involved the use of illegal loans to soldiers in financial trouble.
01:00But China's efforts to infiltrate sensitive targets hasn't been limited to Taiwan.
01:18The U.S. military has also been dealing with recent cases of soldiers selling information to China.
01:24Even the U.K.'s Prince Andrew has been linked to an alleged Chinese spy.
01:27The prince is said to have sent letters to Chinese President Xi Jinping himself.
01:32While Taiwan remains a special target for China, it may also have a certain unexpected advantage.
01:52The country has put in place some special countermeasures,
01:56including financial rewards for turning in suspected spies.
02:00And officials say they might be working.
02:02The Defense Ministry says nearly 90 percent of new espionage cases among the ranks
02:06are reported by other military personnel.
02:09So while the total number of cases may be increasing,
02:12so too may be Taiwan's ability to discover them.
02:16Patrick Chun, Jaime Okon, and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.