BEIJING — China announced Wednesday that it intends to respond with countermeasures after Taiwan’s government launched a new website designed to collect intelligence tips from Chinese nationals, with Beijing calling the move a sign of Taipei’s “confrontational mindset.”
The two governments have long engaged in mutual espionage. Taiwan and China — which considers the democratically governed island to be part of its own territory — have maintained a long history of spying on one another. Taiwan has recently reported a growing number of espionage cases linked to China.
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau introduced the website on Sunday, stating it was creating a secure channel for what it described as a rising number of people inside China who are dissatisfied with the country’s political system and want to see change.
At a regularly scheduled news conference in Beijing, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, accused Taiwan of carrying out “intelligence theft, infiltration, and sabotage activities, escalating cross-strait confrontation and undermining cross-strait relations.”
“This fully exposes their pro–Taiwan independence stance, their stubbornness, confrontational mindset, and refusal to change course,” Chen said.
He added: “We strongly condemn this and will resolutely take countermeasures,” though he did not elaborate on what specific actions China plans to take.
Chen also stated that Chinese citizens, organizations, companies, and other entities all share a duty to protect national security. He warned that anyone who provides intelligence to Taiwan’s agencies in a manner that breaks Chinese law will face legal consequences.
“For those who provide intelligence to Taiwan’s intelligence agencies in a way that constitutes a crime, the relevant departments will pursue legal responsibility in accordance with the law,” he said.
Taiwan, for its part, said its new program follows the example set by intelligence agencies in countries including the United States, Britain, and Israel.
China has employed similar strategies in the past. In 2024, Beijing set up an email address where individuals could submit tips about alleged crimes committed by Taiwan “separatists.”
Taiwan’s government continues to reject China’s claims of sovereignty over the island, maintaining that only the people of Taiwan have the right to determine their own future.
