The Taiwanese accused of espionage for China They increased by a third to 64 last year, according to the island’s National Security Office, which added that most were active or retired soldiers.
China has intensified political and military pressure in recent years to support their claim that Taiwandemocratically governed, is its own territory. This has included daily military exerciseshot air balloons near the island and a campaign espionage.
China’s main spy agency, the Ministry of State Securityexecutes programs that depend on the traditional espionage and the cyber attacksalong with the military intelligencewhile the United Front division of the party carries out propaganda.
The increase in the number of Taiwanese accused of attempted espionage for China represented a “significant increase” of 48 and 10 people in 2023 and 2022, respectively, according to a report from the Homeland Security Office on Sunday.
The report did not give explanations for the increase in cases.
“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to use various channels and media to infiltrate in all walks of life in order to absorb citizens to help them develop networks or collect sensitive government information,” the report said.
There is a growing campaign of military intimidation, economic coercion and hybrid tactics of China, such as the use of internet platforms to promote unification and offer expense-paid trips to China to low-level government officials.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Among those charged last year, two-thirds were active or retired members of the armed forces, according to the report, which added that these demographic groups were the “main objective” of Chinese infiltration in Taiwan.
Through criminal gangs, clandestine banksshell companies, religious groups, some retired soldiers tried to recruit active military to acquire sensitive military information or create espionage networks, according to the report from the Taiwanese intelligence bureau.
They are also used traditional methods like the sexual seduction to catch unsuspecting targets and pressure them into revealing secrets. That was the case of a one star general, Lo Hsien-chea victim of such a plot while he was stationed in Thailand, the bureau said.
In some unspecified cases, the report said, some gang members were asked to serve as undercover agents to “sabotage” and raise the Chinese flag in case of Chinese invasion; Some retired military personnel were ordered to gather Photos and coordinates of a foreign government office in Taiwan in order to form a “sniper team” for one “assassination mission”.
Seven retired soldiers were prosecuted last year on suspicion of Chinese espionage, among other things for plotting the coordinates and data of several military bases and of the de facto US embassy in Taipeias reported last week by the Central News Agency.
Among those arrested last year were 23 people who worked together in a spy networkone of whom was sentenced to 20 years in prisonhe pointed out.
China’s recruitment of retired military personnel has been facilitated by the fact that many were born in mainland China and support unification between Taiwan and the mainland. Taiwan’s government has enacted time limits on when and under what circumstances retired high-ranking officials can visit the mainland, in a bid to prevent their recruitment.
He CCPwhich rejects most contacts with Taiwan’s pro-independence ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Partyhas frequent contacts with the main opposition party, the Nationalist party.
Chinese tactics may have had some effect on the local elections, but the ruling party appears to remain in control and the vast majority of Taiwanese still favor maintaining their de facto independencebacked by strong support from USA.
Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. The Taipei government strongly rejects the Chinese claim to sovereignty and swears defend your democracy and freedom.
He Taiwan Straitone of the busiest shipping routes in the world, has become a critical point in relations between both parties. The incursions by Chinese planes and ships in the vicinity of the island have increased significantly, which has led Taiwan to reinforce its military preparation and seek strategic alliances with other countries in the region.
In an exercise that stood out for its focus on asymmetric warfare tacticsTaiwan deployed six of its most advanced ships this Thursday off the southern coast of the island, in a simulation intended to counteract possible maritime threats from China.
The maneuvers were carried out in waters near the port city of Kaohsiungwithout the use of live fire, but with a wide deployment of military resources.
The main objective of the exercise was to test the Taiwanese naval forces response before the appearance of “enemy threats” at sea. For this, the missile brigade was activated Haifeng and class light vessels were mobilized Kuang Hua VIin addition to the class corvettes Tuo Chiangconsidered a key piece in the island’s defensive strategy.
These maneuvers included Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile launch simulationrecognized for their ability supersonic and medium range.
The maneuvers in Kaohsiung reflect Taiwan’s determination to maintain a strong defensive posture in the face of growing pressures from China. The focus on asymmetric warfare tactics and the use of advanced technology are key elements in the island’s strategy to counter the numerical and material superiority of the EPL.
(With information from Reuters and EFE)
