Taiwan reports 'significant rise' in suspected Chinese espionage
Taiwanese charged with suspicion of spying on behalf of China rose by a third to 64 people last year, the island’s National Security Bureau said.
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese charged with suspicion of spying on behalf of China rose by a third to 64 people last year, the island’s National Security Bureau said, adding that most were current or retired soldiers.
China has stepped up political and military pressure in recent years to back its claim that democratically governed Taiwan is its own territory. This has included daily military drills, balloons near the island and an espionage campaign.
The increase in the number of Taiwanese charged with attempted espionage for China represented a “significant rise” from 48 and 10 people in 2023 and 2022, respectively, according to a report by the National Security Bureau on Sunday.
The report did not provide an explanation for the increase in cases.
“The Chinese Communist Party continues to use diverse channels and means to infiltrate all walks of life in order to absorb citizens to help them develop networks or gather sensitive government information,” the report said.
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