Taiwanese legislator calls for enhanced security screening in light of former assistant of Joseph Wu implicated in espionage case

The Secretary-General of the National Security Council of the Republic of China, Wu Zhaoxie, issued a statement today regarding the case of his former assistant, He Renjie, who is currently detained and prohibited from meeting with anyone due to his alleged involvement in espionage. Wu’s office expressed support for a non-partisan judicial process, emphasizing the importance of fair and strict enforcement of the law.

Taiwan’s judicial authorities are investigating a case involving Wu Shangyu, a former advisor hired by the Presidential Office, accused of espionage. It has been revealed that during Wu Zhaoxie’s tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs, his assistant He Renjie was also recruited as a spy by Chinese intelligence operatives, raising concerns of the leakage of sensitive diplomatic information.

On April 10th, Taiwan’s judiciary conducted a search operation, arrested He Renjie, and successfully obtained court approval to detain and prevent him from meeting others on grounds of violations of the National Security Act, with risks of tampering with evidence.

Wu Zhaoxie’s office at the National Security Council of the Republic of China stated today that they do not comment on individual cases, revealing that the individual in question resigned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March of last year. They emphasized that anyone found guilty of betraying the country or engaging in activities that harm the people through espionage or united front tactics should face severe sanctions. The statement reiterated the commitment to the non-partisan, fair, and lawful enforcement of justice.

In response to the recent surge of espionage cases, Taiwanese legislator Chen Guanting expressed deep concern over the situation. He noted that He Renjie’s case highlights the severe national security challenges Taiwan is facing and urged the government to establish a more comprehensive inter-departmental security screening mechanism, particularly focusing on background checks for political appointees and their assistants.

Chen Guanting remarked, “The detention of the assistant surnamed He appears to be related to espionage. Combined with previous cases within the government and military branches including the army, navy, air force, and even military police, it further underscores the extremely grave security situation we are currently facing.”

Emphasizing his previous calls during legislative questioning of the National Security Bureau Director Tsai Ming-yan, Chen stressed the need for a more comprehensive and inter-departmental security screening mechanism. He highlighted the importance of implementing thorough background checks encompassing financial status, travel history, past criminal offenses, and civil crimes for assistants and political appointees to prevent any security breaches.

Given the increasingly severe threats to national security, Chen Guanting believes there is room for improvement in the current screening system, particularly for personnel handling sensitive information. He advocates for the establishment of more stringent screening standards to prevent future infiltration incidents similar to espionage cases from occurring.