TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The National Security Bureau on Tuesday released a report listing five tactics China uses to infiltrate Taiwan.
The NSB report outlines how Beijing exploits Taiwan’s democratic and open society through indirect and covert intelligence operations, per CNA. From 2020 to the present, it said 159 individuals have been indicted in espionage cases.
The bureau said China’s methods involve recruiting retired personnel to lure active-duty members, online coordination, financial inducements, and debt coercion. The goal is to access sensitive military and government information and to build espionage networks in Taiwan.
The five tactics listed by the NSB include:
1. Colluding with gangs to develop armed internal agents
China recruits Taiwanese gang members to pay off active-duty military personnel with financial difficulties to gather sensitive military intelligence. In addition, gang members are instructed to raise the Chinese flag and act as operatives in coordination with sabotage operations in the event of a PLA invasion.
China also sends funds into Taiwan through underground money exchange channels operated by gangs, and tries to recruit retired military personnel to collect photos and coordinates of sites such as rosters of Taiwanese generals, foreign institutions in Taiwan, military radar stations, and joint training bases. China also tries to organize former Taiwanese soldiers to plan assassination missions.
2. Setting up underground banks to entice defections to China
Beijing tries to recruit Taiwanese civilians and retired military personnel to establish shell companies as organizational outposts. These people also set up underground banks and gambling dens to lure or coerce active-duty military personnel into collecting military secrets and signing oaths of allegiance to China.
3. Using religious temples to lure military personnel for spying
China provides funding to temple leaders and uses temple activities such as spiritual cleansing, fortune-telling, and divination to approach active-duty soldiers. These soldiers wear military uniforms and film "pledging allegiance to China" videos while holding the Chinese flag, or hand over military defense plan documents.
4. Building networks through online platforms
China uses online platforms such as Facebook, Line, and LinkedIn. It uses online loans to contact active-duty and retired military personnel who need money and ask them to provide sensitive information in exchange for debt repayment or introduce them to fellow military personnel to develop subversive groups, while using virtual currencies to evade investigation.
5. Using concealed identities to approach government personnel
Beijing uses networks such as Taiwanese businesspeople in China, employing indirect methods and concealed identities to establish contact with government agency personnel, elected representatives, etc., attempting to obtain sensitive information from the Taiwanese government.
The NSB said national security intelligence agencies, military security units, and judicial and investigative departments have established a mechanism to create a "shared national security threat picture" to prevent infiltration by foreign forces. The bureau said it will strengthen measures against Chinese spying.
