Prosecutors in Taiwan said they had charged a senior military officer with corruption and harming state security. The prosecutors said that the officer took bribes from a Chinese agent to act as a spy and even signed a letter promising to surrender to China, CNN reported.
Taiwan has long battled against what it calls a sustained espionage campaign run by China, which views Taiwan as a “sacred” part of its territory, to undermine Taiwan’s armed forces.
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The prosecutors’ office in Taiwan’s Kaohsiung city said they were seeking a 12-year sentence for an army colonel who had over the last four years received about $18,000 in bribes from a Chinese agent.
The officer persuaded the colonel, who had been thinking of leaving the armed forces, to stay in service so he could gradually rise up the ranks and act as a spy.
The colonel signed a letter to promise that he would surrender in the event of war with China, the office added.
{{/usCountry}}The colonel signed a letter to promise that he would surrender in the event of war with China, the office added.
{{/usCountry}}Taiwan’s defense ministry said, “This case highlights that the Chinese communists have become a serious threat against us when it comes to infiltrating, recruitment, collection of intelligence and theft of secrets."