A court in Taipei has sentenced eight Taiwanese soldiers to prison for spying on behalf of China in exchange for money.
The court revealed that retired military officers had bribed active-duty soldiers with amounts up to 700,000 Taiwan dollars ($21,900; £16,700) to join a spy network.
Among those sentenced, one individual, believed to be instrumental in recruiting soldiers, received the longest sentence of 13 years.
A lieutenant-colonel, one of the recruits, was sentenced to nine years for planning to defect to China by flying a helicopter. Another recruit recorded an instructional video on surrendering to China in the event of war.
China views self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that it intends to bring under its control, even considering the use of force to achieve this. Both sides have been engaged in espionage against each other since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.
“They were seduced by money,” the court said.
“Their actions violated their official duties of being loyal to the country, defending the country and the people… to seriously endanger national security and the well-being of the people of Taiwan.”
Taiwan recently flagged Beijing’s growing espionage efforts, with the sentencing on Thursday being the latest in a string of cases.
Last month, a sergeant stationed at a navy training center was indicted for allegedly photographing and leaking confidential defense data to China.
Taipei has also expressed concern over the increasing frequency of Chinese fighter jet flights near the island.
On Friday, Taiwan’s President William Lai emphasized the need for the island’s people to “unite as one” in order to “defend national sovereignty and safeguard democracy.”
His remarks were made during an event commemorating the 66th anniversary of China’s assault on Taiwan’s Kinmen islands.
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