World News – AU – Taiwanese citizen found guilty of collaborating with Chinese intelligence agencies – Focus Taiwan

Taipei, Dec. . 31 (CNA) A Taiwanese businessman was found guilty of collaborating with Chinese intelligence agencies and was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment or a fine by the Taipei District Court on Thursday, although the case is still open for appeal.

The man with the surname Huang (黃) was found guilty of violating Article 2-1 of the National Security Law, which prohibits individuals from collecting confidential information or an organization for another country such as To build China serve its military or other purposes.

According to the Taipei District Procuratorate, Huang moved to Ningbo, China, in 2000 and befriended local government officials to further his career.

He was hired to arrange meetings with the Taiwanese government and military personnel to collect information on Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the Falun Gong religious movement.

In 2011 and 2012, Huang invited two Taiwanese acquaintances – a retired Justice Department investigator surname Lee (李) and a retired major-general surname Yen (閻) – to visit him in Ningbo on the pretext that Area to travel.

During the visits, he took the men out to dinner with three officials from the Chinese Ministry of State Security and a representative from the local Taiwan Affairs Bureau.

The Chinese officials made overtures that were interpreted as requests to act as informants, which were rejected by both men, prosecutors said.

Huang was also charged with attempting to recruit an officer from the Taiwanese National Security Bureau, surnamed Lee (李), whom he met at a banquet while visiting Taiwan in 2012.

In this case, Huang allegedly said he was working for China to collect information about the Falun Gong movement, but Lee refused to help him.

On Aug. . 5, under Taiwan’s National Security Law, the Huang Procuratorate accused Huang of trying to set up « an organization » for the official use of a foreign government.

Prosecutors said Huang’s actions did not result in the disclosure of actual information to the Chinese authorities and that his efforts to recruit Taiwanese officials had been unsuccessful.

Taiwan, New Year’s Eve, Taipei, Central News Agency