Taiwan President vows crackdown on Chinese infiltration, cites rising espionage and influence operations

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te stated on Thursday that China has intensified its campaigns to influence and infiltrate the democratic island, promising actions to address Beijing’s attempts to “absorb” Taiwan, as reported by Voice of America.

Taiwan has accused China of escalating military exercises, trade restrictions, and influence efforts aimed at coercing the island to acknowledge Chinese claims of sovereignty in recent years, according to VOA.

Lai remarked that Beijing has leveraged Taiwan’s democracy to “absorb” various societal members, including organized crime factions, media figures, and active and former military and police personnel. “China is executing actions such as division, destruction, and subversion from within our ranks,” Lai asserted.

Referring to government statistics, Lai noted that 64 individuals were indicted for Chinese espionage last year, which is three times the number from 2021. He indicated that most of them were either current or former military personnel. “Many are apprehensive that our country’s hard-won freedoms, democracy, and prosperity will gradually erode due to these influence campaigns and manipulations,” Lai expressed.

Lai stated that China qualifies as what Taiwan’s Anti-Infiltration Act terms “foreign hostile forces.” The president put forward 17 legal and economic counteractions, which include a stringent evaluation of visits or residency applications from Chinese nationals and plans to reinstate the operations of the military court, as reported by VOA.

Lai also mentioned that his administration would implement “necessary adjustments” to the movements of money, individuals, and technology across the strait. Additionally, he stated that the government would provide “reminders” to Taiwanese performers and singers active in China regarding their “statements and actions” in response to what Taipei interprets as a persistent Chinese effort to pressure pop stars into making pro-Beijing remarks, according to the VOA report.

China asserts its claim over Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its authority. The government of Taiwan rejects Beijing’s claims to sovereignty and maintains that only the people of the island can determine their future.