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Pons_Aelius ,

Beijing offered Taiwan pilot US$15 million to steal US-made helicopter: court

The pilot, identified by his surname Hsieh, was approached in June by mainland Chinese intelligence officials through a retired Taiwanese army officer to fly the CH-47 Chinook helicopter onto the aircraft carrier

The ch-47 is a 62 year old design, surely it would have been cheaper for the PLA just to buy one second hand from the many countries that operate them.

Ember4274 ,

Do those come with Taiwanese communication hardware?

TheMightyCanuck ,
@TheMightyCanuck@sh.itjust.works avatar

Pay walled. Anyone got a transcript or summary?

Pons_Aelius ,

Beijing offered Taiwan pilot US$15 million to steal US-made helicopter: court

Taiwanese pilot planned to defect to mainland China with US-made army helicopter, court told

A Taiwanese army pilot was offered US$15 million to defect by landing an US-made transport helicopter on a People’s Liberation Army Navy aircraft carrier during a military drill near the island, according to prosecutors.

But the scheme fell through after the officer was arrested in August for allegedly spying for Beijing, a Taiwan court has heard.

The pilot, identified by his surname Hsieh, was approached in June by mainland Chinese intelligence officials through a retired Taiwanese army officer to fly the CH-47 Chinook helicopter onto the aircraft carrier, the Taiwan High Court Prosecutors Office said in an indictment revealed by lawmakers on Monday.

“According to the instruction from the [mainland] agents, Lieutenant Colonel Hsieh was asked to fly the helicopter at low altitude along the coastline to the Chinese Communist carrier which would be staging drills close to the waters 24 nautical miles [44km] off [Taiwan],” the indictment said.

In exchange, prosecutors said Hsieh would be paid NT$200,000 (US$6,355) per month, and the mainland side would help evacuate his family to Thailand in the event of a cross-strait conflict.

Mainland China launches military drill near Taiwan in ‘severe warning to separatist forces’

Hsieh initially declined the offer because it was too risky, but later accepted the proposition when mainland agents raised their offer to US$15 million with a US$1 million “deposit”, if he accepted, the indictment said.

Hsieh also proposed that the PLA stage the drill in waters near the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung so that he would not need to cross the median line that separates the island and the mainland in the Taiwan Strait, therefore minimising the chance the helicopter would be intercepted by Taiwan’s air force, according to prosecutors.

The indictment said that Hsieh held a teleconference with mainland operatives in July to discuss the details of the alleged defection, including helping his family immigrate to Thailand.

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The prosecutors later arrested Hsieh and the retired officer following a tip-off, which “prevented the US-made aircraft from falling into the hands of the communist force”, the indictment said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits helicopter supplier for PLA’s Taiwan sorties

12 Oct 2023

[President Xi Jinping at the Changhe Aircraft Industries facilities on Wednesday, during an inspection visit to eastern Jiangxi province. Photo: Xinhua]

The would-be defection came to light on Monday after lawmakers grilled Taiwan’s defence minister Chiu Kuo-cheng in a meeting over the security lapse within the military and measures the ministry were to adopt in response.

“I feel pained too, to have discovered a case like this and those allegedly involved must be dealt with according to the law,” Chiu told lawmakers.

The defence ministry also issued a separate statement on Monday, saying the military and security agencies in Taiwan had conducted an internal investigation and fully cooperated with the judiciary in its probes.

China’s PLA sends dozens of warplanes near Taiwan as island holds annual Han Kuang military drills

Hsieh’s case surfaced a week after Taiwanese prosecutors indicted a group of active and retired officers on November 27 for allegedly spying for Beijing.

The case also came as the ministry reported that the PLA’s Shandong battle group sailed south through the Taiwan Strait on Monday on the mainland side of the median line. No further details were provided by the ministry.

Around the time Hsieh was first approached by the mainland agents, the same battle group passed through the same area on June 21.

Taiwan’s military must objectively assess PLA then ‘strengthen ourselves’

23 Oct 2023

[Taiwanese Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters on Monday that in preparing for war “we should not rest our hopes on the mistakes of others”. Photo: CNA]

Beijing, which views Taiwan as its territory, to be taken under control by force if necessary, has intensified its military operations around the self-ruled island since August last year after then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei.

Beijing said the visit was a violation of its sovereignty and a breach of the US’s one-China policy.

The United States, like most countries, does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but is opposed to any unilateral change by force in the cross-strait status quo.

jaybone ,

What did China offer him?

PugJesus ,
@PugJesus@kbin.social avatar

Might just be ideological motivation. China's not a free country, but it's also not some hellhole like North Korea.

maynarkh ,

The second line of the article highlights says something about a 15 million USD bribe. That might have had to do something with it.

PugJesus ,
@PugJesus@kbin.social avatar

Damn, I knew I should have read the article

jaybone ,

This is why I just ask rather than reading.

jonne ,

Nah, it’s all in the comments.

Pons_Aelius ,

Headline in article:

Beijing offered Taiwan pilot US$15 million to steal US-made helicopter:

tacosanonymous ,

How or why would anyone even trust this deal? Once they land on that carrier, they have no position to bargain or enforce the terms.

ArbitraryValue ,

Treating the defector well encourages future defectors.

Transporter_Room_3 ,
@Transporter_Room_3@startrek.website avatar

“yes, we treat him well. No you can’t see him. That black bag you saw over his head was to help him breathe. Move along.”

Jokes aside, yeah Typically defectors are treated well, for the exact reason you say. Nobody would want to defect if they knew they were just going to be executed or put in a gulag.

maynarkh ,

He would still be valuable as a pilot trained to operate the freshly stolen chopper I guess.

Also, if I get it right from the article, the Chinese paid upfront.

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