A report by the Washington-based Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) warned that Taiwan faces an increasing threat from Chinese espionage and urged the government to impose tougher penalties on those found guilty.
The report, “Chinese Communist Party Covert Operations Against Taiwan,” highlights the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) growing influence operations, and their impact on Taiwan’s security and democracy.
“No other democracy faces the same scale of foreign threat to its integrity and independence as Taiwan,” the report said. “The malign intentions and influence operations directed by the CCP and the threat it poses and harm it causes to Taiwan’s democratic society is real.”
Photo: Reuters
The report said that CCP espionage falls into three major areas — intelligence operations, cyberspace operations and “united front” work.
The GTI recommended that Taiwan implement harsher penalties for espionage.
“Additional sentencing enhancements could be legislated for offenses that have wider political consequences or threaten the wider integrity of the Taiwanese government,” the report said.
The report cited an example in which government officials convicted of national security-related offenses could face heavier sentences if they recruit other officials or military officers into spy rings or connect them with China’s intelligence and “united front” organs.
The report also suggested that Taiwan establish legal frameworks similar to those in the US and the UK, requiring individuals acting on behalf of a foreign entity to register, which would involve publicly disclosing their activities and affiliations to enhance transparency.
The report further recommended criminalizing unregistered agents of foreign powers, adding that in the US, many spies have been prosecuted under this provision.
The burden of proof would be to demonstrate the individual’s actions were directed by a foreign power, not necessarily a threat to national security.
Meanwhile, the think tank recommended that Taiwan strengthen its security vetting through a unified national security clearance system to hold government employees to a higher standard.
The report said that such a system would help different government branches handle sensitive national security matters.
President William Lai (賴清德) earlier this month announced that the government would seek to reinstate the military trial system to handle military-related criminal cases involving active-duty service personnel amid increasing Chinese attempts to infiltrate the military.
Lai’s measures against Chinese espionage also included tightening restrictions on Chinese tourists, Chinese residents and civil servants.
The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday said in response that current national security regulations are indeed insufficient.
The council would continue to examine regulations along with agencies to find out whether there are loopholes that would affect the practical enforcement of law, it said.
Expert opinions from various fields would also be collected to facilitate discussion about legal amendments with national security and public welfare in mind, the council said.
National Taiwan University Department of Political Science associate professor Chen Shih-min (陳世民) said that Taiwan has already been largely infiltrated by China’s “united front” tactics.
Taiwan must develop an awareness of “fighting against China to safeguard Taiwan” that defines Beijing as an enemy, otherwise it would not be able to counter Chinese infiltration, he said.
The government should consider establishing an act governing “external hostile force agents,” following similar examples of the US, Australia or Canada, to impose strict regulations for Beijing’s agents, and stipulate potential contraventions and corresponding penalties, Chen said.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu
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