China sentences Taiwanese professor to 4 years in jail for spying after 'confession' on TV

Amid the rising tensions between Taipei and Beijing, a retired Taiwanese professor has been sentenced by a Chinese court to four years in prison on spying-related charges. Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian on November 24 confirmed the ruling against Shih Cheng-ping, who is a retired National Taiwan Normal University professor. While speaking at a press conference, Zhu said that Shih was deprived of his political rights for two years as part of the sentence, which was passed by the Maanshan Intermediate People’s Court in Anhui province, China. 

A while back, Shih had made a televised “confession” on state media. Back in 2018, he had disappeared after travelling to the mainland and in October, on a televised programme, he confessed to spying on China. While speaking to CCTV, Shih had said that he had passed information from a mainland think tank to Taiwan authorities in exchange for money. He added that he hoped his experiences would serve as a “warning” to others in Taiwan. 

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According to South China Morning Post, Shih is one of four Taiwanese scholars and businessmen who made “TV confessions” in a three-part special broadcast by CCTV. The series included claims that mainland authorities had uncovered hundreds of cases of espionage involving the self-ruled since 2018. Along with Shih, Cheng Yu-chin, Tsai Chin-shu and businessman Lee Meng-chu. 

China to ‘severely punish diehard supporters’ 

On Wednesday, Zhu confirmed that China was compiling global watch list of Taiwanese independence backers, a move she described as part of the country’s measures to “hit supporters”, as well as those who helped fund such activities. 

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She said, “The very small numbers of Taiwan independence diehards’ move to blatantly challenge national sovereignty and territorial integrity shouldn’t be tolerated”. She added, “We will continue to take precise strike measures to severely punish the diehards … [and] main supporters such as their funders”. 

Meanwhile, this move has indicated that China is willing to mount legal challenges against Taiwan’s democratically-elected President Tsai Ing-wen. According to the report by the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece Global Times, the list could even include senior Taiwanese government officials. The Chinese media reports have also said that the 2005 Anti-Secession Law, that mandates the use of force if government judges Taiwan to have declared independence, they could be charged on the list. 

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