NSC Secretary General Surrounded by Communist Spy: How to Ensure National Security？

United Daily News Editorial, April 15, 2025

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is facing a string of espionage scandals, with confirmed infiltration reaching the Office of the President, Legislative Yuan, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs—even national security officials have a Chinese Communist spy in the midst. While mainland China's infiltration of Taiwan's national security core warrants alarm, what's more disturbing is the DPP's response: either sleeping soundly through the crisis or diverting attention by indiscriminately accusing others and painting the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) as traitors to fuel the recall campaign.

President Lai has repeatedly warned of Communist China's efforts to infiltrate the military. In 2023, active and retired military personnel accounted for 66 percent of those indicted in espionage cases. On March 13, President Lai convened a national security meeting, labeled China a "foreign hostile force," introduced the “17 Strategies” to safeguard sovereignty and combat espionage, and reinstated military tribunals. According to the National Security Bureau, 60 percent of espionage indictments in the past five years involved military personnel, suggesting that the armed forces are a primary Chinese Communist target. However, the real danger lies in Communist spies embedded within the DPP administration itself.

While President Lai and the national defense establishment worry about leaks of military secrets, higher-level intelligence may already be flowing freely from the very heart of the government. For instance, Wu Shang-yu, former adviser in the Office of the President, followed Mr. Lai when he served as vice president and president. Sensitive information such as Mr. Lai's moves and foreign visit plans, kept from the public and media, may have been fully exposed to Beijing.

Another case involves Ho Jen-chieh, aide to Secretary-General Joseph Wu of the National Security Council (NSC). Mr. Ho has long been trusted by Wu, following him from his roles as DPP secretary-general, NSC secretary-general, secretary-general to the President, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. During Mr. Wu’s six-year term as Foreign Minister, Taiwan saw diplomatic ties with eight countries severed. If Taiwan's foreign strategies and presidential diplomatic plans were leaked to Beijing, how can Taiwan wage this diplomatic battle across the strait? Shouldn’t Mr. Wu conduct a full investigation and clearly explain it to the public?

The DPP's narrative of resisting China collapses when top aides to the president and national security leaders are revealed as spies. This is the real national security crisis. While the scope of leaks remains unclear and the damage yet to be assessed, the Lai administration has downplayed the issue, claiming these aides had only limited access to classified material. This absurd implication—that embedded spies were loyal party members who quietly stole only documents from their own desks—is an insult to public intelligence.

More troubling still, prosecutors conducted two rounds of searches and arrests in February involving highly sensitive cases. Under prosecutorial unity, President Lai must have known about these investigations by his March national security meeting —and likely drafted the "17 Strategies" in response. Yet the administration spun the issue into one of targeting "foreign hostile forces, "focusing instead on loyalty tests for military, civil servants, police, state-run enterprises, and even household registration crackdowns on mainland spouses and second-generation immigrants. The aim: preemptively divert attention from the DPP's own espionage scandals and scapegoat others, sowing social distrust and greater hatred.

The DPP's countermeasures also missed the point entirely. As party chairman, President Lai instructed the DPP to draft a financial aid plan to prevent struggling party staff from being recruited by mainland China. While military traitors face tribunals, party traitors get financial assistance—a blatant double standard. The real problem lies in the DPP’s abandonment of its founding spirit: integrity, good governance, and love for Taiwan. Under DPP rule, corruption has escalated at breakneck speed. Party elites enrich themselves while cronies profit from power. In such an ecosystem, how could ordinary party workers not be tempted? This "emergency aid" looks more like mockery than help.

The DPP has long used red-tagging to vilify the opposition, weaponizing fear and hatred during elections. Now, they’ve extended this tactic to the recall campaign with great skill — labeling the KMT as pro-China and TPP as a Chinese Communist partner, only to be caught harboring spies themselves. The DPP’s accusations fall flat when its own ranks represent the biggest breach in Taiwan’s national security.

From: https://udn.com/news/story/7338/8674597
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