Taiwan's spy chief has warned retired agents "never go to China," because of the risk of arrest or interrogation there, a report said Friday.
"China still actively uses various channels and methods to collect information from us… Some of our work partners were questioned, arrested or detained when going to China," the Apple Daily cited military intelligence boss Chang Kan-ping as saying.
"To ensure your personal safety, (I) urge you to insist on never going to China," Chang said in a recent memo to retired agents, according to the report.
The paper quoted an unnamed official at the military intelligence bureau as saying that Chang was prompted to write the note as "many" ex-agents were being held in China. The official did not give an exact figure.
Military intelligence officials were not immediately available for comment.
The report came as Taiwanese prosecutors were investigating claims that two former military agents, one of whom had gone to live in China, were spying for Beijing.
Taiwan and China have spied on each other ever since they split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.
Beijing still claims the island as its territory, awaiting reunification by force if necessary.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
