Chinese Bid to Tempt Taiwan Colonel with $15M Ends in Epic Fail

According to reports, Chinese intelligence officials met with Lieutenant Colonel Hsieh in Thailand and proposed that he use a CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter to land on the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong. In exchange, the Chinese promised to assist with obtaining a Thai Elite Visa, the right to be the first to withdraw from Taiwan under the identity of a Thai overseas Chinese in the event of a cross-strait war, and a monthly salary of 200,000 Taiwan dollars (approximately $7,000).

Chinese intelligence provided Lieutenant Colonel Hsieh with information about the Shandong’s passage through the Taiwan Strait and instructed him to land the helicopter on the aircraft carrier. However, Lieutenant Colonel Hsieh initially refused, deeming the plan too risky. In response, the Chinese side offered a reward of US$15 million, equivalent to half the price of the helicopter. They proposed to pay US$1 million to US$2 million upfront

Taiwanese military intelligence prevented the plan from being executed. They had already detained and charged Lieutenant Colonel Hsieh with other offenses involving the leakage of confidential information. A Taiwanese military official declared that flying the Chinook helicopter solo was impossible, and the defection plan would have inevitably failed.

By. Dong Ho Ryu