Taiwan has passed a legal amendment to grant lenient treatment or even pardons to double agents who turn themselves in, following one of island's worst espionage cases in decades, a lawmaker said Monday.

Taiwanese agents who spy for China or another foreign power currently face up to life imprisonment even if they surrender to the authorities, which is a major disincentive to those who regret their betrayal and want to make amends.

The amendment was approved by parliament last week, slightly more than three months after Taiwan's military arrested a general on charges of spying for China.

Under the new law, agents recruited by other countries and "the enemy" would have their sentence reduced or pardoned if their reporting to the authorities could prevent damage to Taiwan's security or interests.

"The recent major espionage cases ... have underscored the shortcomings of the existing law," Lin Yu-fang, a legislator of the ruling Kuomintang party and the proponent of the legal move, said in a statement.

Military prosecutors last month indicted Major General Lo Hsien-che and said they would seek a life sentence for him.

Lo, ex-head of the army telecommunications and electronic information department, was accused of spying and taking bribes from China beginning in 2004.

Lo, who has been detained since February, is accused of falling for a honey trap set by a female Chinese agent while stationed in Thailand between 2002 and 2005, according to Taiwanese media reports.

The 51-year-old reportedly started to collect secrets for her in 2004 in return for about $1 million from China but still managed to pass repeated loyalty checks and was promoted to major general in 2008.

Taiwan and China have spied on each other ever since they split in 1949 at the end of a civil war. Beijing still regards the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

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