IN THE COURTS: The number of people indicted in Chinese espionage investigations rose to 73 this year from six in 2020, while 163 people have been convicted, the NSB said
By Wu Che-yu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
China is stepping up transnational repression and “united front” operations against Taiwan, using surveillance, intimidation and violence to silence targeted Taiwanese, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report submitted yesterday to the Legislative Yuan.
The legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee is scheduled to hear a briefing from NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) tomorrow.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has instructed overseas and local collaborators to monitor and film specific Taiwanese, gathering personal information that could be used to threaten or intimidate them, the report said.
A member of the pro-China group Concentric Patriotism Association displays Chinese flags in Taipei on April 28, 2019.
Photo: David Chang, EPA-EFE
Collaborators have also sent threatening e-mails while impersonating people critical of China to damage their reputations, it said.
Other tactics include physical assaults, splashing paint on cars or homes under the pretext of debt collection, and staged traffic accidents intended to intimidate people who openly criticize Beijing, it added.
The CCP is also seeking to draw Taiwan closer to China through exchanges and “united front” activities, inviting Taiwanese to forums and events in China to expose them to its policies and propaganda, the report said.
Beijing is particularly targeting young people and businesses, using commercial incentives to encourage stronger identification with China.
In terms of espionage, China continues to target the military and government agencies through intelligence operatives and online contacts to obtain sensitive information, the NSB said.
The number of people indicted in Chinese espionage investigations rose to 73 this year from six in 2020, excluding cases prosecuted under the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法), it said.
The courts have issued rulings involving 179 people in such cases, 163 of whom were convicted, a conviction rate of 91 percent, the bureau said.
Average prison sentences in such cases also increased, to six years and six months this year from one year in 2020.
China has also sought to poach Taiwanese talent, steal technology and acquire advanced chips by posing as foreign investors and using indirect procurement channels to evade restrictions, the report said.
Since 2020, authorities have uncovered 151 cases involving Chinese-funded entities operating in Taiwan without approval or attempting to recruit local talent, as well as 50 cases of technology theft linked to China, the NSB said.
Beijing has also sought to influence Taiwan’s elections through illicit funding, sponsored trips to China, donations of campaign materials and fabricated opinion polls, the report said.
During the 2024 presidential and legislative elections, 71 cases involving alleged contraventions of the act resulted in indictments, it added.