In November, a Taiwan court heard accusations that two serving soldiers had accepted bribes from Chinese agents to record a video declaring their loyalty to China and their intention to defect in the event of a war.

The colonel was found guilty of having accepted monthly payments totalling more than half a million Taiwan dollars (£12,500) to delay his retirement for years and serve as a spy.

The ruling Chinese Communist party (CCP) claims Taiwan is a province of China, and its leader, Xi Jinping, appears to have made “reunification” a crucial component of his future legacy.

Beneath all that is an apparently extensive and well-resourced network of spies and agents of influence seeking to steal secrets, gather intelligence, sow discord and undermine Taiwan’s democracy from within.

He told the Guardian morale was being affected by relentless cognitive warfare from China, and “outdated” leadership in the ROC military, which is historically rooted in the Kuomintang party (KMT).

“A military that has lost its spiritual beliefs and honour will not have the concept of loyalty to the country and the people, and will naturally not be able to withstand the temptation of high pay across the strait,” Chen tells the Guardian.

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