A Taiwanese court has handed down long prison terms to a retired officer and his son for passing top-secret military files to China, a sign Taipei is getting tougher on Beijing's spy recruitment inside the armed forces.

• Retired major Li Hai-peng was recruited by China and pulled in a former comrade and his own two sons, both serving soldiers, to steal highly classified military material over five to six years.
• The Taiwan High Court gave Li 11 years and 6 months, and his son, a sergeant who helped scan and hand over documents, 16 years.
• Li was reportedly recruited while running tour groups to China after leaving the military 25 years ago — a common route Beijing uses to approach ex-officers.
• Earlier rulings had been far lighter, with sentences of just two to three years, until prosecutors appealed and the Supreme Court sent the case back for retrial.
• The men also lost their civil rights for years and had cash proceeds from the spying confiscated.

Outlook: The sentences can still be appealed, but the sharp increase from the first ruling signals Taiwanese courts will keep punishing military espionage harder as pressure from China grows.