TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Czech police have arrested a Chinese state media reporter in Prague for allegedly acting as a spy to gather compromising information on Taiwan-friendly politicians.
Czech police arrested Yang Yiming, a reporter for the Chinese state media outlet Guangming Daily, in Prague on Jan. 17, per CNA. He was subsequently charged with “unauthorised activity on behalf of a foreign power.”
According to the Czech weekly Respekt, Yang was actually working for China’s Ministry of State Security and used his status as a reporter as a cover. The Czech Security Information Service (BIS) had been monitoring him closely for an extended period.
Respekt reported that after Yang’s arrest in Prague, the Czech government took precautionary measures, evacuating some Czech citizens from China to prevent them from being used as hostages.
In a classified briefing to Czech parliamentarians, BIS said that Yang collected compromising information on Czech figures closely associated with Taiwan. They include Senate President Milos Vystrcil, former Chamber speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova, and noted Czech sinologist Olga Lomova.
The report said that Chinese intelligence aimed to gather material that could be used to pressure or blackmail these Taiwan-friendly leaders. Yang reportedly visited the Chinese embassy in Prague twice a month to hand over the information he collected.
Czech prosecutors expressed strong confidence in the evidence and expect the case to go to trial within three to four months. Under Czech criminal law, working without authorization for a foreign power with the intent to threaten the country’s constitutional order, territorial integrity, defense, or security carries a maximum sentence of five years.
This espionage case is the first prosecution under this law since it came into effect. The law was designed to address growing concerns over espionage, hybrid threats, and the leakage of sensitive information, per CTK.
Respekt pointed out that the case could affect a Czech citizen currently serving a prison sentence in China. The student was arrested in China in 2019, convicted of drug trafficking, and sentenced to 12 years. Beijing could use this student as a bargaining chip in a potential prisoner exchange.
