TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Taiwan High Court on Thursday sentenced an Air Force colonel to 16 years in prison for spying for China.

Chang Ming-che (張銘哲) had accepted NT$1.34 million (US$42,600) and a free trip to Bali from a Taiwanese businessperson working for Chinese intelligence, per CNA. Appeals against the verdict by the Taichung Branch of the High Court were still possible.

Businessperson Chung Shun-ho (鍾順和) started working in China in 2005 before he agreed to collect information for the People’s Liberation Army, prosecutors said. In 2019, he invited Chang to Bali to meet with three Chinese officers.

The Air Force colonel agreed to work for them and collect confidential data. In return for supplying reports on Air Force maneuvers, US-Taiwan military cooperation, and sensitive information about military staff, he received a monthly fee of NT$65,000 with holiday bonuses. Chang’s income for his work over four years totaled NT$1.34 million.

Investigators also found that in 2023, Chung had recruited another officer, Yeh (葉). During a meeting with Chinese military agents in Singapore, Yeh allegedly agreed to provide personal information about officers and to try to recruit domestic neighborhood leaders into a spy ring. Prosecutors said he accepted US$10,000 for his activities.

In March, Chang, Chung, and Yeh were charged with breaking the National Security Act, with prosecutors requesting heavy sentences. The Taiwan High Court on Thursday gave Chang 16 years in prison, but ruled there was not enough evidence to convict Yeh, while Chung died during the trial.