Former Air Force Colonel Chang Ming-che, who served as a department director at Taiwan’s Air Force Academy, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being lured by financial incentives to join an organization tasked with recruiting members on behalf of Mainland China and hostile overseas forces.
Taiwan’s Control Yuan announced on June 10 that Chang had seriously violated the ethical standards expected of public officials and military discipline, and an impeachment case against him had been approved.
According to a report by Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA), Chang was recruited as a Chinese spy by Taiwanese businessman Chung Shun-ho. The Taichung Branch of the High Court originally sentenced him to 16 years in prison for violating the National Security Act.
In January this year, Taiwan’s Supreme Court finalized an 11-year prison sentence for Chang on charges of developing an organization for foreign hostile forces. However, the portion of the case involving allegations of gathering and collecting military secrets was overturned and remanded for retrial.
In a press release issued on June 10, the Control Yuan stated that Chang had served as a senior military officer and was fully aware that the government of the People’s Republic of China has repeatedly threatened Taiwan with military force, making the possibility of a cross-strait military conflict impossible to rule out. Despite this, Chang was tempted by financial gain and, together with the Chinese spy surnamed Chung, acted with the intention of endangering national security. He agreed to join an organization established to recruit members on behalf of Mainland China and hostile foreign forces.
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From September 2019 to November 2024, Chang repeatedly accepted payments from Chung, receiving a total of NT$1.341 million (approximately US$41,000) in compensation for his activities.
The Control Yuan stated that, in addition to violating the National Security Act, Chang Ming-che also breached the obligations of Republic of China military personnel to remain loyal to the Republic of China and to uphold integrity and honesty. His actions seriously damaged official ethics and military discipline, tarnished the honor of the armed forces, severely harmed the military’s image as a defender of the nation, and undermined public confidence in national defense and security. As such, his misconduct was deemed grave.
The Control Yuan noted that a review meeting was held on June 2, 2026. All 13 review committee members voted in favor of impeachment, with 13 votes supporting and none opposing. The impeachment motion was therefore approved, and the case has been referred to the Disciplinary Court for adjudication and punishment in accordance with the law.
Received NT$1.34 million in illegal benefits over four years
According to a report by Radio Taiwan International (RTI), an investigation by the Taichung Branch of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office found that Taiwanese businessman Chung Shun-ho had been recruited by the Chinese military while conducting business in China since 2005. After returning to Taiwan, he targeted military personnel for infiltration and recruitment.
In September 2019, Chung arranged for Chang Ming-che to travel to Bali, Indonesia, where he met with three military officers employed by the Guangdong Provincial Overseas Liaison Office. During the meeting, Chang provided personal information, including details about his military unit, position, and family members. He also accepted a US$10,000 “meeting gift” (approximately NT$300,000 at the time).
Investigators found that after being accepted as a member of the organization, Chang Ming-che received a fixed monthly payment of 15,000 yuan (approximately NT$65,000) as compensation. In addition, he received bonuses during major Chinese holidays, including Lunar New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Over a four-year period, he collected approximately NT$1.34 million in illegal benefits.
In return, Chang allegedly provided materials including Taiwan Air Force exercise briefings, information on Taiwan–U.S. cooperative mission deployments, personnel background information within the military, and intelligence on Taiwanese political parties and public opinion trends.
The investigation also found that beginning in 2023, Chung Shun-ho made contact with a military officer surnamed Yeh. During meetings with Chinese military personnel in Singapore, Yeh provided personal information and images of his military identification card. He also agreed to help recruit village chiefs and gather information on relatives and friends traveling to China who could be offered hospitality. In total, Yeh received about US$10,000.
In March 2025, the Taichung Branch of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office indicted Chang, Yeh, and Chung for violating the National Security Act, seeking severe penalties.
In September 2025, the Taichung Branch of the Taiwan High Court concluded the trial and found Chang guilty of violating the National Security Act, sentencing him to 16 years in prison and ordering the confiscation of his illicit gains totaling NT$1.34 million. Officer Yeh was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. Chung Shun-ho had died during the trial proceedings, and the court therefore dismissed the prosecution against him.
In January 2026, after prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court, the court upheld an 11-year prison sentence for Chang for developing an organization on behalf of foreign hostile forces. However, the portions of the lower court ruling that had sentenced him to four years and three years respectively for gathering and collecting military secrets were overturned and remanded for further proceedings.
Series of espionage cases involving Taiwanese military personnel
In recent years, a number of active-duty and retired Taiwanese military officers have been convicted for allegedly spying for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or helping develop espionage networks.
One notable case involved Ding Xiaohu, a Hong Kong man who allegedly came to Taiwan under CCP direction. Through retired military officers, he recruited active-duty and retired personnel and even attempted to persuade them to adopt a policy of “passive non-resistance” in the event of a war.
In April 2026, six active-duty and retired military personnel, identified by the surnames Lu, Chiu, Yang, and others, were sentenced by the High Court to prison terms ranging from 4 years and 6 months to 8 years and 6 months.
Another case involved retired Army Lieutenant General Kao An-kuo, who was accused of attempting to establish an armed organization in Taiwan to assist a potential Chinese invasion. In October 2025, the High Court sentenced him to 7 years and 6 months in prison for violating the National Security Act.
Several other active-duty and retired officers, including Lieutenant Colonel Hsieh of the Army Aviation and Special Forces Command and Major Ho of the Hualien Defense Command, were accused of accepting money from China in exchange for obtaining national defense secrets. In August 2024, eight officers involved in that case received prison sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 13 years.
