Several former senior military officials on the island of Taiwan have been accused in recent years of developing intelligence networks for mainland China (Photo: AFP).
The defendant, surnamed Liu, was convicted of "developing an organization" for mainland China, according to the court in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung.
He was also convicted of several counts of violating the National Security Information Protection Act for passing classified national security information to Beijing, a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Liu was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison, the court said in a statement. It did not provide further details because the case involved national security secrets.
Prosecutors opened an investigation into Liu in January on suspicion that he recruited at least six active officers in the air force and navy over an eight-year period on behalf of Beijing.
The court said five officers involved in the case received sentences ranging from six months to 20 years in prison. One was acquitted.
According to local media, Mr. Liu was recruited by Beijing during a business trip to the mainland in 2013. He then developed a network of information providers and paid them through shell companies.
China considers Taiwan island as part of its territory and does not rule out the possibility of unification by force.
Several former senior military officials on the island of Taiwan have been accused in recent years of developing intelligence networks for mainland China.
In January, a retired Taiwanese air force major general was given a four-year suspended sentence for accepting dinner and travel invitations from a Hong Kong businessman who was said to be acting on behalf of Beijing.
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