Unmasking Espionage: China's Intrigue on Taiwanese Defenses

Taiwan's intelligence bureau highlights an espionage surge as China's spy agencies collaborate with criminal entities to extract defense intelligence. Retired military personnel are a major target, leading to increased arrests, reflecting China's intensified military and economic intimidations. Notable tactics include cyberattacks and propaganda with political implications.

Taiwan's intelligence has exposed a worrying spike in espionage activities linked to China's spy agencies and criminal networks. The goal: to gather intelligence on Taiwan's defenses. Current and former military personnel have been heavily targeted, with over half of those tried in espionage cases falling into this category.

This increase in arrests, from just 16 in 2021 and 10 in 2022 to 64 last year, mirrors China's growing campaign of combined military pressure and economic coercion. These methods include gray tactics, such as the use of the internet for propaganda and exploiting vulnerabilities through incentives offered to local government officials.

Moreover, the report from Taiwan's National Security Bureau reveals that Chinese spies tap into Taiwanese underworld networks to fund their operations. Various payments, sometimes in cryptocurrency, are supplemented by traditional exploitation techniques, as seen with retired military officer Lo Hsien-che, who fell victim to a bribery scheme while stationed abroad.

(With inputs from agencies.)