A man from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was arrested on charge of espionage for the Taiwan authorities by the State Security Bureau of the Beijing Municipality Friday.

The arrest has been approved by the Second Branch of the People's Procuratorate of the Beijing Municipality, according to official sources.

 

Cheng Cheong, a Hong Kong resident, was born on December 3, 1949. In early 2000, Cheng was recruited by the "National Security Bureau" of the Taiwan authorities and given an alias, Chen Yuanchun.

 

Between early 2000 and March 2005, Cheng followed the instructions of the Taiwan intelligence and set up a number of channels for espionage in both Hong Kong and the inland.

 

Cheng obtained through buying over or other means a great deal of information about China's political, economic and especially military affairs, including some classified as "top-secret" or "confidential," and passed it to the Taiwan intelligence, which had been detrimental to the national security.

 

The Taiwan intelligence had on different occasions given several million Hong Kong dollars to Cheng for him to use in espionage activities, the sources said.

 

On April 22, the state security department detained and interrogated Cheng and later allowed him to stay at home under surveillance and investigation, in accordance with law.

 

During the investigation, Cheng confessed the whole process of his spying activities for the Taiwan intelligence.

 

The case is now under prosecution.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2005)