TAIPEI, Taiwan — The intelligence agency of Taiwan has revealed that China’s principal espionage organization is collaborating with various criminal syndicates, shell companies, and other questionable partners to gather crucial information regarding Taiwan’s defense mechanisms. This strategy has led to a significant increase in the number of individuals arrested for espionage activities within the island nation.
The report highlights that current and former military officials in Taiwan are particularly at risk, as they represent nearly half of the 64 alleged spies that faced trial last year. This figure marks a dramatic rise from just 16 cases in 2021 and 10 in 2022, underscoring a worrying trend in national security.
These arrests reflect China’s intensified efforts in employing military pressure, economic manipulation, and unconventional tactics aimed at undermining Taiwan. The tactics also encompass using the internet for promoting the idea of unification, in addition to offering fully funded trips to China for lower-level government personnel.
A recent report published by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau emphasizes that Chinese agents are increasingly looking to the local underworld as a means to funnel money to individuals willing to divulge sensitive information. Criminal organizations, some of which have roots dating back to the civil strife before the 1949 division of Taiwan and the mainland, are being targeted. These efforts also extend to loan sharks, shell companies for money laundering, as well as religious organizations and non-profits that may engage in illicit activities.
In some instances, payments are made using cryptocurrency, while more traditional methods are also employed, such as using deceptive romantic relationships to entice victims into disclosing secrets. A notable example involved a one-star general named Lo Hsien-che, who fell victim to such a trap while assigned in Thailand.
Last year alone, among those detained were 23 individuals who were part of a spy network, with one member receiving a 20-year prison sentence as a result.
China’s primary intelligence agency, the State Security Ministry, employs a combination of traditional espionage techniques, cyber operations, and military intelligence, while the Communist Party’s United Front division conducts propaganda initiatives.
Although the ruling Communist Party maintains limited engagement with Taiwan’s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, it regularly interacts with the main opposition, the Nationalist Party. Despite these tactics, local elections appear to indicate that the DPP remains firmly in control, with a substantial majority of Taiwanese citizens expressing a desire to maintain their current state of de facto independence, which is largely supported by the United States.
The recruitment of retired military personnel by China is made easier by the fact that many of them were born in mainland China and may express support for unification with the mainland. In response to this growing threat, Taiwan’s government has enacted stringent regulations regarding the timing and conditions under which retired senior officers can visit the mainland, aiming to thwart potential recruitment efforts.
