An espionage scandal has erupted in Taipei’s political arena. Chu Cheng-chi (朱政騏), a former assistant to a legislator and who passed the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) primary for Taipei city council, is alleged to have leaked sensitive information from the Legislative Yuan to China during his tenure. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office has indicted him for violating the National Security Act and is seeking a prison sentence of more than five years. The DPP swiftly moved to expel him from the party and will not nominate him for the council election.
The prosecution indicated that Chu Cheng-chi allegedly took sensitive data by secretly filming in the office while serving as an aide to legislator He Zhiwei and Taipei city council member Zhong Peiling in 2022, transmitting the information to relevant individuals in China, and allegedly received a payment of 20,000 RMB (USD 2905), reported the Taipei Times.
On April 2, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office formally indicted Chu for leaking classified information in violation of the National Security Act, seeking a prison term of five years or more. The DPP acted quickly to expel him from the party and revoke his candidacy qualifications. In response, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council that manages relations with China issued a stern warning, stating that CCP infiltration targets all political parties alike.
Following the exposure of this espionage case, the DPP Central Committee promptly took action, emphasizing a consistent “zero tolerance” stance on national security issues. The DPP supports strict legal actions against behaviors that harm the state and will never be lenient. Currently, in addition to expelling Chu from the party, they will present to the Central Executive Committee to formally withdraw his nomination for the council election.
Party officials also stated that an extraordinary meeting will be convened as soon as possible to complete the relevant expulsion procedures and impose strict measures, preventing the person involved from continuing to run as a party representative. The Taipei City branch of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) demonstrated a tough stance on national security issues, emphasizing that any actions involving leaks or endangering national security will not be tolerated.
For the best of our weekly content！
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Check your email to complete sign up
Mainland Affairs Council: CCP infiltration is not limited by party
Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je, in an interview regarding the indictment of Xu Chun-ying, a Chinese immigrant in a similar suspected Chinese espionage case, questioned whether most of the captured spies were DPP party staff or Chinese spouses, and even criticized the DPP as being the real “Communist agents.” Ko himself received a 17-year prison sentence on March 26 in a separate corruption case, reported Taipei Times.
In response, Liang Wenjie, Deputy Minister and spokesperson of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), said that comparing numbers is meaningless. He reiterated that all political parties are targets of CCP infiltration, whether it is the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Kuomintang (KMT), the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), or the New Party. The key issue is how each party responds once infiltration occurs.
“Today we have the case of Chu Cheng-chi, who is also from the DPP. But the DPP acted very quickly, expelling him from the party and revoking his candidacy. This reflects the attitude of each political party,” said Liang according to TTV News.
He criticized other approaches, saying some parties argue that the indictment was written by DPP-aligned prosecutors or debate which side had more people caught.
Some parties have even rehired people under indictment as think-tank executives in the central party office to draft national defense budget proposals. This shows the different ways parties respond when infiltration occurs.
Recognizing the growing risk of infiltration
Liang noted, “When we were young, spies were said to be around us, but cross-strait exchanges were limited back then, so there weren’t many spies. Today, exchanges across the Taiwan Strait have increased dramatically, so there are many more spies and more channels for infiltration.”
He stressed that it is pointless to blame which party is infiltrated—all parties are vulnerable. The critical issue is how parties respond: whether they confront it directly or accuse prosecutors of political bias or compare which party has more infiltrated members. He urged society to face the reality of increasing infiltration risks.
Regarding public debate, various political figures have offered differing interpretations, keeping the issue in the spotlight. However, the government emphasizes that national security cases should return to judicial investigation and institutional handling, avoiding politicized arguments that distract from the focus.
The case has now entered the judicial process, and further developments as well as the clarification of responsibilities will depend on the court’s verdict.