Taiwan's president, William Lai Ching-te, stated on Thursday that stricter measures are necessary to combat China's increasing infiltration, espionage, and other efforts to undermine Taiwan’s security and hasten Beijing's ambition to seize control of the self-governing island republic, a key ally of the U.S.
Lai pointed to several recent incidents involving China that fall into a “gray area,” including psychological warfare that stops short of direct military conflict. He explained that Beijing’s attempts to “subvert, steal secrets, lure military personnel, and manipulate public opinion to erode trust in our national defense” require Taiwan to enhance its legal protections to prevent and identify such activities.
Lai outlined proposed actions to counter China’s influence, such as reintroducing military tribunals for crimes like espionage and making it harder for individuals from China and the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau to acquire Taiwanese identification. This is complicated by the high rate of intermarriage between Taiwanese and Chinese.
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Taiwan will also restrict contact with individuals linked to China’s Communist Party’s United Front department, which aims to use cultural exchanges and personnel to promote Beijing's unification agenda.
This decision followed an incident last year in which a student in a delegation backed by a pro-unification Taiwanese group used disparaging language about Taiwan, causing public outrage, though no legal action was taken.
Lai's Democratic Progressive Party supports Taiwan's de facto independence from Beijing. Since Lai’s predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, took office eight years ago, China has largely cut off official communication with the DPP.
China frequently sends ships and planes into Taiwan's airspace and waters to intimidate its 23 million citizens and weaken Taiwan’s military and morale.
Taiwan’s government recently expelled the Chinese wife of a Taiwanese man after she posted videos on Chinese social media claiming that China could conquer Taiwan in half an hour and praising the Chinese leadership. These actions violate Taiwan’s laws on aiding the enemy. The woman, who also held Chinese government roles, will be allowed to reapply for residency in five years.
Other recent cases include Taiwanese influencers and artists in China sharing Chinese state media statements affirming China's sovereignty over Taiwan. Retired Taiwanese military personnel have also provided information about Taiwan’s weapons systems to Chinese agents and attempted to recruit active-duty soldiers as spies.
The Defense Ministry confirmed a recent case where a retired air force major, claiming to work for a U.S. think tank, convinced an air force intercept controller to provide classified documents in exchange for money. The retired major, surnamed Shih, sent the files to his Chinese handlers for around $45,000, sharing $6,000 of it with the active-duty officer, surnamed Hsu.
The leaked information pertained to Taiwan’s domestically developed Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles and Taiwan’s response to Chinese incursions into its air defense identification zone.
The two sides have been separated since the 1949 civil war, with China continuing to view Taiwan as its territory to be reclaimed by force if needed. Lai’s remarks coincided with the 20th anniversary of China’s Anti-Succession Act, which sets out conditions for an invasion, including if Taiwan declares formal independence or refuses unification indefinitely.
Taiwan maintains that it is already functionally independent, a stance supported by most of the population, and does not see the need for a formal declaration of independence.
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To strengthen its defenses, Taiwan has been bolstering its military with new missiles, U.S. tanks and planes, and domestically produced submarines. The country has also recently extended mandatory national military service for all men from four months to one year.