In March 2024, during a visit by Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim to the Czech Republic, Czech Military Intelligence (VZ) revealed that Chinese intelligence services closely monitored her movements and even considered orchestrating a “demonstrative” car crash as a form of intimidation.
Following an extended investigation, Czech authorities arrested a key individual accused of long-term cooperation with Chinese intelligence services on January 18, 2026. According to the Czech outlet Deník N, the suspect is Yang Yiming, a Prague-based correspondent for China’s state-run Guangming Daily. Yang had worked in the Czech Republic for many years and had repeatedly received extensions to his work permit from the Czech government.
Investigators allege that Yang exploited his status as a journalist to move freely within Czech and Slovak political circles, collecting intelligence under the guise of media interviews—particularly information related to political interactions involving Taiwan. Reports further claim that he used so-called “technical cooperation” with local media to disseminate pro-China narratives domestically, while covertly serving China’s military intelligence apparatus.
The arrest is being described as a milestone in Czech counterintelligence history. In 2025, the Czech Republic amended its criminal code to designate “unauthorized activities on behalf of a foreign power” as a serious criminal offense. Yang is the first suspect charged under this revised law. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison, with potential sentences of up to 15 years if the offense is deemed to have occurred during wartime.
Source: CReaders.net, January 23, 2026
https://news.creaders.net/world/2026/01/23/2963267.html