More than 100 cases cracked by Thunderbolt 2018 Crackdown, state broadcaster CCTV says

South China Morning Post 
Date: 15 September, 2018
By: Zhuang Pinghui

Beijing has accused Taiwan of blackmailing visiting university students into gathering intelligence about the Chinese mainland and claims to have cracked more than 100 espionage cases involving the self-ruled island, the state broadcaster said on Saturday, as tensions between the two sides continue to rise.

The Thunderbolt 2018 Crackdown run by the Ministry of State Security has led to the identification of several Taiwanese spies and their agents, CCTV reported in the first of a two-part series on the subject.

“It has cut off the spy intelligence network set up by Taiwan and dealt a serious blow to Taiwanese intelligence agencies,” it said.

The state broadcaster also released photographs of people it claimed were Taiwanese spies who had made friends with or “seduced” mainland students at universities on the island.

The “spy network” has been trying to infiltrate the mainland using different means including bribery and “erotic enticement”, the report said.    [FULL  STORY]