President Lai Ching-te on Thursday called for tougher measures to counter increased infiltration efforts and espionage by .
At a press briefing after meeting with senior security officials, Lai accused Beijing of trying to “absorb” Taiwan and .
“They (China) are carrying out activities such as division, destruction, and subversion from within us,” Lai said in remarks that were broadcast live from the presidential office.
What is behind the tensions between Taiwan and China?
Taipei accuses Beijing of increasing pressure on the island to buckle to China’s claim of sovereignty.
China has in recent years stepped up which divides the island from the mainland, imposed trade sanctions and launched campaigns to influence Taiwanese society.
China sees the self-governing democratic island of Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes any international recognition of its sovereignty. Beijing has also not ruled out using force to “reunify” Taiwan with the mainland.
“Many are worried that our country, hard-earned freedom and democracy and prosperity will be lost bit by bit due to these influence campaigns and manipulation,” Lai said.
He pointed to a series of incidents that fall under a “grey area” of intimidation and pressure that stops short of open hostility.
What measures did Taiwan’s president propose?
Lai said Taiwan needed to “step up our legal safeguards to prevent and detect” efforts by Beijing to “subvert, obtain secrets, lure members of the armed forces and influence public opinion to lose confidence in our national defense.”
Lai said 64 people were charged with spying for China last year — three times more than in 2021 —, adding that most were .
He said the government was mulling countermeasures such as stricter reviews of applications by Chinese citizens to visit or reside in Taiwan, resuming the military court and stemming the cross-strait flow of money, technology and people.
Responding to what Taipei perceives as influence campaigns by Beijing to compel Taiwanese celebrities to take pro-Beijing stances, Lai also said the government would remind Taiwanese stars who perform in China to exercise caution in their “statements and actions.”
There has been a public outcry in Taiwan after several celebrities called the island a “province of China” on Chinese social media.
Taiwan recently expelled a Chinese woman who is married to a Taiwanese citizen after she praised Beijing and said China could easily and quickly conquer the island.
“We have no choice but to take more active actions,” said Taiwan’s president.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has dismissed Lai’s remarks, saying they “will not change the fact that Taiwan is part of China nor can it change the inevitable event of the reunification with the motherland.”
Edited by: Kieran Burke
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