Taiwan High Court hands lengthy prison terms to two men for CCP-linked recruitment scheme
The Taiwan High Court sentenced businessman Cheng Ming-chia to 10½ years and former Executive Yuan official Hu Peng-nien to five years for attempting to build a Chinese Communist Party united-front organization in Taiwan.
In a verdict delivered on Thursday, the Taiwan High Court imposed a 10-year-and-six-month prison term on Cheng Ming-chia for his role in establishing a recruitment network for the Chinese Communist Party’s united-front work in Taiwan. The court said Cheng, between 2021 and 2025, supplied contact details, set up meetings in China, and recruited Hu Peng-nien, a retired Executive Yuan official, as a potential operative. Hu, sentenced to five years, used similar tactics from 2021 to 2024, attempting to recruit three people and transporting a Chinese-supplied communications device into Taiwan.
While Hu admitted the charges, Cheng maintained his innocence; the court found the evidence conclusive and dismissed his defense. Both men have been detained since raids in September 2025 and were absent from the sentencing hearing. The decisions can be appealed.
Why it matters
The case highlights Taiwan's crackdown on foreign influence operations targeting its political and security institutions.
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