Retired Air Force Officer Allegedly Leaked Anti-Ship Missile Info to China

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan's defense minister is trying to alleviate fears of military espionage concerning the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile, saying no active information about Taiwan’s advanced missiles has been leaked to China. That’s after reports of a retired air force officer under investigation for sharing classified information.

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00:00This is the Xiongfeng-3 anti-ship missile, one of Taiwan's most advanced domestically

00:07made weapons.

00:08But now, sensitive information about its use and deployment could have been leaked to China.

00:17On Wednesday, Taiwan's defense ministry confirmed a former Air Force officer surnamed Shi was

00:22recruited by China after retiring in 2008.

00:26He then persuaded an active-duty air traffic controller to leak classified information.

00:31Both men were paid a combined total of just over US$45,000.

00:36The case is still ongoing, but three people have already been indicted.

00:56Shi allegedly took advantage of the U.S.'s close defense ties with Taiwan.

01:00He's accused of pretending to be affiliated with an American think tank in order to convince

01:04service members to share intelligence.

01:07He was released on a US$3,000 bail last week, and the air traffic controller is still heading

01:12to detention.

01:17The incident is just the latest example of Chinese espionage within Taiwan's military.

01:22Numbers from Taiwan's National Security Bureau show that nine people were charged with suspicion

01:26of espionage from 2001 to 2009.

01:30Between 2011 and 2023, that number rose to 113 military and civilian personnel.

01:37Last year alone, it saw a record 64 people charged with spying.

01:42Sensitive information about how Taiwan deploys its fighter jets was also leaked, and military

01:47observers here said that information could be used to undermine Taiwan's defense.

02:12Fears are rising over the growing threat posed by Chinese espionage.

02:16Xi Jinping's military dumps resources into understanding how its adversaries, countries

02:20like the U.S. and Taiwan, structure their defense.

02:42As Taiwan's military steps up its counter-espionage efforts, it remains unclear how big the problem

02:47is.

02:48What is clear is that if the military hopes to counter the threat from China, it's first

02:52going to have to address the one in its own ranks.

02:55Fu Hua Hong and Jaime O'Connor for Taiwan Plus.

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