Taiwan has put a military intelligence officer on the wanted list after she failed to report to work following a holiday in Thailand last month, the defence ministry said Tuesday.

The lieutenant, identified only by her surname Yeh, has been sacked by the military intelligence bureau and will face court martial for abandoning her post if she returns to Taiwan, according to the ministry.

However, the ministry denied media reports alleging she had acquired important intelligence and defected to China.

"We are investigating the case and we will thoroughly review our systems for recruiting, selecting, training and assigning staff," it said in a statement.

Taiwan has been rocked by a string of spying scandals in recent years, showing intelligence gathering has continued despite warming ties with China.

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