Top Taiwanese scientist Chen Kun-shan defects to China

[Reashot Xigwin]

Chen Kun-shan. (Photo courtesy of Chen Kun-shan)

Chen Kun-shan, a leading Taiwanese expert on remote sensing technology, has secretly defected to China, Taiwan's Ministry of Education confirmed Friday.

The ministry is expected to hold a meeting soon to approve a decision by National Central University in Zhongli to dismiss Chen from his position as a professor, according to Wang Tso-tai, chief secretary of the ministry.

Chen, who has headed the university's Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research since 2001, was suspended by the university in November 2013, two months after he went absent without leave, Wang said.

The university learned through Chinese media reports in March that Chen had been hired to work at China's State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science under Beijing's high-profile Thousands Talents Program, which seeks to attract overseas scientists, Wang said.

The reports were later verified by Beijing through the cabinet's Mainland Affairs Council, he added.

The university confirmed Friday that it had decided to dismiss Chen on April 7 and had submitted the case to the education ministry for final approval.

In a front-page story, the independence-leaning Liberty Times cited an intelligence source as saying that Chen's case posed a "serious threat" to Taiwan's national security.

As head of the Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research, Chen had access to satellite images covering Taiwan and China's military deployments and was in a category of government employees privy to state secrets and restricted from visiting China, the report said.



References:

Chen Kun-shan　　陳錕山

Wang Tso-tai 王作臺

Top Taiwanese scientist Chen Kun-shan defects to China｜Society｜News｜WantChinaTimes.com

 

[TaiShang]

Looks like the 1000s Talent Program is really working.

But the requirements are damn high, I should say. Naturally, China devotes more money to engineering and other hard sciences than Social Sciences.

That's smart. Because natural sciences is where innovation and higher returns lie.

And we have to compete nail and blood to get a few RMB leftovers from what
engineering and others have been given.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Welcome back Chinese patriot.

 

[cirr]

This is no defection。

This is simply a change of job。

 

[xuxu1457]

Only change a job, nothing new

 

[S10]

He went from a provincial level research institute to a national one. Where is the defection in that?