Taiwan reckons with alleged Chinese spying close to halls of power

President Lai seeks countermeasures as espionage cases surge

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Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te delivers a speech at Songshan airbase in Taipei on March 21. Lai and his ruling party are sounding the alarm over a rise in cases of alleged espionage, while the opposition says they are sowing "panic." © Reuters

THOMPSON CHAU

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan -- The story had the makings of a spy thriller: Agents working for China, embedded as officials in Taiwan's government, allegedly passed on details of Lai Ching-te's domestic and overseas itinerary during his successful presidential campaign.

"His arrival at the airport, the hotel he stayed in and the floor of his room were all fully known to the other side of the Taiwan Strait," according to an investigation by local magazine Mirror Media. "If someone wanted to ambush and attack him, Lai would be in great danger."

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