00:00What's the price of loyalty to one's country?
00:02Taiwan prosecutors say that for two men accused of spying for China, it was around US$2,500
00:08in cryptocurrency.
00:09They're now being charged under Taiwan's national security and anti-corruption acts.
00:13Prosecutors say one of the men, a former sergeant who was in debt, reached out to a former colleague,
00:18an active-duty soldier, asking him to supply training materials.
00:22The officer said no at first, but later gave in.
00:24The sergeant then sent the information on to China in exchange for the crypto.
00:27The case has raised renewed focus on a key issue, how Chinese spies take advantage of
00:33Taiwanese troops' financial difficulties to gain access to sensitive or classified materials.
01:02Responding to concerns over this growing problem, the Defense Ministry has stepped in.
01:07Earlier this year, it rolled out an emergency loan program for troops facing financial hardship.
01:11So far, 633 loans totaling roughly US$6.6 million have been doled out.
01:17But that alone may not be enough to stem the tide of Chinese spy cases in Taiwan's military.
01:22The Cabinet has also proposed increasing punishments for former and active-duty troops accused
01:26of espionage, which are seen as too lenient.
01:29And though no top-level intel was leaked in this most recent case, it highlights China's
01:34persistent efforts to undermine Taiwan's military and make it harder for the country to defend itself.
01:38Chris Ma and Larry Siano for Taiwan Plus.
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