Taiwan Coast Guard officer indicted for leaking sensitive data to China

Kinmen District prosecutors have indicted a squad leader from the Coast Guard Administration stationed in Kinmen, along with an associate, on charges related to leaking national security information to mainland China. The squad leader, identified by the surname Chen, is accused of providing sensitive data, including maritime radar track records and information on cross-strait smuggling operations, to his elementary school classmate, Chen.

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The Kinmen District Prosecutor's Office stated that the squad leader was responsible for investigating coastal smuggling and illegal immigration.

Prosecutors allege that from 2017 to 2021, the squad leader Chen supplied his associate Chen with radar data and records of fishing vessel inspections. This information was intended to help the associate understand the competitive landscape of illegal smuggling operations in the Kinmen-Xiamen sea area. Subsequently, the associate Chen began collaborating with a Chinese national in Fujian Province, with whom he established a lobster farming and smuggling business across the Taiwan Strait.

This Chinese national was reportedly recruited by the China Coast Guard and acted as an informant. Between 2019 and 2024, under instructions from the China Coast Guard, the squad leader Chen allegedly leaked information about cross-strait stowaways and criminal investigations to his associate Chen. This data was then passed on through the Chinese national to the China Coast Guard, enabling them to monitor Taiwan's anti-smuggling capabilities.

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The associate used his friendship with the squad leader to solicit official information from the Coast Guard agency for a long time.

The Kinmen District Prosecutor's Office has charged both individuals with violations of the National Security Act, the Personal Data Protection Act, and the Criminal Code. For the squad leader, considering his role as a law enforcement officer and the absence of evidence of bribery, prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of five years. Regarding the associate Chen, who acted as a "middleman" and facilitated the leak of classified information, prosecutors requested a four-year prison sentence, citing his critical role in establishing the cross-strait intelligence pipeline and his pursuit of personal gain at the expense of national security.

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He acted as a 'middleman,' facilitating meetings between the squad leader and an informant absorbed by the China Coast Guard, establishing a cross-strait intelligence leak channel.