After China’s Taiwan Affairs Office added a button to its online page for others to report so-called “hardcore Taiwanese independence supporters” earlier this month, a report was published claiming there had been “discovered more than a thousand cases of Taiwanese espionage. ” . issued on Tuesday of last week through the Ministry of State Security of China
The report, titled “Resolutely combat Taiwan-related separatism and espionage,” does not provide any main points other than that “Taiwanese independence leaders, such as Yang Chih-yuan (楊智淵), have been arrested. ” Their arrests were also described as “a severe blow” to “Taiwanese independence forces. ”
The Mainland Affairs Council has criticized China’s 22 judicial “guidelines” aimed at penalizing “hardline Taiwanese separatists,” issued in June, calling them cognitive warfare aimed at intimidating Taiwanese. Beijing’s most recent claims of detaining more than 1,000 spies are most likely an exaggeration. , mere boasting or a further demonstration that the Chinese government is abusing its force and detaining other people without trial to meet quotas set by the Chinese government, the council said.
The Chinese ministry said it “decided to bring out the sacred mandate prescribed through the central party to protect and curb espionage and infiltration efforts opposed to the Chinese motherland. “
However, Yang, one of the founders of the Taiwanese National Party, has fluid political perspectives and in recent years has replaced his political stance in favor of cooperation with pro-China parties and cross-Strait unification forces.
Yang was arrested in China in August 2022, where he visited on business and to participate in Go competitions. For Taiwanese, someone like Yang is simply a civilian and can hardly be considered a prominent advocate of independence.
A report by CNN journalists in China showed that posters with slogans selling national security are now commonplace in Chinese cities. The ministry has a large following on social media and posts comments, videos or comics that sound the alarm about the pervasive threats to the nation.
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the country’s most authoritarian leader in decades, Chinese security agents are sending a harsh message to the Chinese people that foreign spies are and an increasing range of issues are seen as potential threats to the country’s security. . . . Beijing is trying to mentally prepare the Chinese not to be influenced by so-called foreign threats.
Experts widely warn that external threats are a component of Xi’s strengthening of national security in the face of escalating geopolitical tensions and developing domestic challenges such as a weakening economy.
Beijing can also deflect domestic grievances by blaming “foreign forces,” a style the Chinese government has continually used in periods of unrest.
Hong Kong’s Security Bureau, which set up a hotline for others to report similar information to national security, said it had obtained more than 750,000 reports in the four years since the territory’s national security law was imposed.
Amid growing threats from Beijing, the number of Taiwanese running in China has fallen precipitously, from 430,000 in 2009 to less than 177,000 in 2022. Taiwanese investment in China hit a record high last year.
The ministry’s report is nothing more than a new attempt through Beijing to intimidate the Taiwanese into supporting independence. However, this resolution not only reflects Beijing’s insecurity, but would also lead to increased discontent and antipathy among Taiwanese towards China, which may simply contribute to further separation, opposition, and hostility on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.