Pointing to lenient sentences handed out in national security cases, Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor Hsing Tai-chao (邢泰釗) on Thursday called for stricter measures to deter espionage in Taiwan.

Hsing, a former Taipei district chief prosecutor, said that a review of more than 200 national security cases showed that none of the convicted defendants received a sentence of more than five years in prison.

Cases of people working on behalf of China to infiltrate government and military positions to obtain top-level and classified materials to undermine Taiwan’s security are a serious concern that erodes public confidence in the nation’s leadership, he said.