The Taiwanese government has publicly acknowledged for the first time that a Chinese general, who was executed by Beijing in 1999 for espionage, was indeed one of its spies. The military officer was Liu Liankun, a Chinese People's Liberation Army logistician, who headed the general logistics department. However, China arrested Liu for spying in 1999, accusing him of spying for Taiwan for five years in exchange for money. At the time, Taiwan denied that Liu had been spying on her behalf and refused to acknowledge that she had any role in General LianKun's alleged espionage activities.
According to his accusers, Liu relayed the information to Taiwan during the so-called 1996 missile crisis - known in Taiwan as the 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis. The crisis was triggered by a series of missile tests conducted by Beijing in the waters. around the island of Taiwan. The crisis lasted several months, from July 1995 to March 1996. Many in Taiwan were convinced that China's missile tests were the precursors of a military advance by Beijing aimed at conquering the island forever. However, the Taiwan Ministry of Defense eventually released a statement to the press saying it was aware that the Chinese missiles were not equipped with armed warheads. The information was correct, but it made it clear to China that Taiwan was receiving information from a well-placed source within its military. After an extensive counter-intelligence investigation, the Chinese arrested Liu and accused him of spying for Taiwan in exchange for nearly $ 2 million in bribes. Eventually Liu was executed by lethal injection in a Beijing prison. He was 58. At the time of his conviction, Liu was the oldest Chinese military officer ever to be convicted of spying in Taiwan.
But Taiwan continued to deny any involvement in Liu's case. That changed last week, however, when the Taiwan Military Intelligence Bureau unveiled its memorial, which is housed in its headquarters in Taipei. The memorial bears the commemorative plaques of 75 individuals who died during MIB intelligence operations. Protagonists include both intelligence officials and their assets, foreign people recruited by intelligence officers to spy on Taiwan. Among the plaques, visitors to the memorial saw one dedicated to Liu for the first time. A note under the plaque acknowledges Liu's contributions during the 1996 missile crisis. But it also claims that the Chinese military official provided assistance to Taiwan during previous crises with China in the 90s, as well as inside information on the premier's death. Chinese Deng Xiaoping in 1997.