TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The office of National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said Saturday that a former aide accused of spying for China left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year.

The former aide, surnamed Ho (何), reportedly worked for China during Wu’s term as foreign minister from 2018 to 2024. Ho has been detained incommunicado following a court decision, Radio Taiwan International reported.

Wu’s office said that while not commenting on individual cases, it supported tough legal action against anybody involved in betraying the country. The judiciary should act regardless of party affiliation or identity, a statement said.

The office added Ho had resigned from the ministry in March 2024. A court approved his detention Friday, per CNA.

Other suspects involved in the case include a former Presidential Office consultant, and two former DPP staffers already in detention. One of the staffers had been approached by Chinese intelligence officials while doing business in China, and stands accused of having agreed to collect confidential information about foreign trips by Taiwan’s president and vice president.