This month, Taiwan uncovered the worst case of alleged Chinese military espionage in 50 years. Major General Lo Hsien-che was arrested on suspicion of having passed military secrets to Beijing for the past six years. The revelation is an embarrassment to Ma Ying-jeou, the Taiwanese president, who has worked hard since his election in 2008 to restore closer ties with mainland China.
The opposition has accused Mr Ma of cozying up to Beijing and endangering Taiwan’s de facto independence. The truth is, he has done a good job of removing tension from cross-strait relations without compromising Taiwan’s status. The spying revelations should not be allowed to interfere with that progress. Relations had become extremely tense under Mr Ma’s predecessor, Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive party. Mr Chen had pursued an agenda that Beijing interpreted as flirting with “splittism”. China’s Communist party has pledged to invade Taiwan should it ever declare formal independence.
Under Mr Ma, China and Taiwan have signed a free trade agreement that should bind their economies even more closely together. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan has risen sharply. Direct flights and shipping routes have been instituted. Taiwan’s opposition senses a trap: that Beijing wants to draw Taiwan into an economic bear hug so closer political ties become a fait accompli.