On December,11th, 2023, a shocking plan was revealed in a Taiwan court. A Chinese spy had allegedly offered a Taiwanese army lieutenant colonel an astonishing sum of $15 million to land a US-made CH-47 Chinook helicopter on a People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy aircraft carrier. The audacious plan was part of a military drill that was scheduled to take place near the island.
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According to the South Morning China Post, the lieutenant colonel would have flown the helicopter at low altitude along the coastline to the Chinese Communist carrier, which would have been staging drills close to the waters 24 nautical miles away.
The pilot, identified by his surname Hsieh, was approached by Chinese spies in June 2023. Initially, he was hesitant to accept the offer, but the Chinese spies were persistent and offered him a deposit of $1 million in addition to the $15 million. They also promised Hsieh a monthly salary of $6,355 and visas for his family to visit Thailand. Eventually, the enticing offer proved too much, and Hsieh agreed to the plan.
However, the plot was foiled after a tip-off, and Hsieh and a retired Taiwanese army officer, who helped facilitate communication, were arrested. According to prosecutors, the tip-off "prevented the US-made aircraft from falling into the hands of the communist force." Taiwan's Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-Cheng was questioned over the security breach on December 11, 2023. He expressed his concern over the matter and stated that those allegedly involved must be dealt with according to the law.
