A Chinese mainland organization Thursday informed Taiwan of the
arrest of Li Xianglong, a Taiwanese resident, on charges of spying
for Taiwan's military.
In a document to a Taiwan-based center catering to people on
both sides of the Taiwan Straits, the Beijing-base Association for
Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) said Li was detained by
the state security department of Shanghai Municipal Government on
charges of spying on Dec. 15, 2003.
Investigations showed Li was a spy dispatched by the military
intelligence authorities of Taiwan for collecting intelligence on
the mainland, and he was arrested officially on Jan. 15, 2004,
according to the document.
The association asked the center to inform Li's family of his
situation.
During his detention, Li confessed and pleaded guilty to all
spying charges, according to the document.
Li allegedly told the security department that he first entered
the mainland in 1999, and in 2001 he made acquaintance with Lin
Shangcun, a spy of the military intelligence authorities of Taiwan,
through another man.
Lin asked Li to gather military intelligence in 2002 and Li
agreed and joined the Taiwan intelligence network, and was paid
50,000 new Taiwan dollars a month and was in charge of collecting
military intelligence in and around Shanghai, according to the
letter.
At the request of Lin, Li entered militarily sensitive mainland
are as to collect intelligence, it says.
The document goes on to say that Li is now in custody of the
state security department in Shanghai and he is physically in good
shape.
Li Weiyi, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office under the
State Council, told a press conference on Wednesday that seven
Taiwanese residents detained by China's state security department
are spies sent by the military intelligence authorities of
Taiwan.
They were Fu Hongzhang, Lin Jieshan, Song Xiaolian, Wang
Changyong, Zhang Genghuan, Zhang Yuren and Tong Taiping.
State security departments of the Chinese mainland announced in
late December that they have smashed a ring of intelligence agents,
arresting 24 spies from Taiwan and 19 mainlanders involved.
(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2004)