U.S. think tank warns of growing Chinese espionage threat to Taiwan

Washington, March 23 (CNA) A report released by the Washington-based Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) this month 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," highlighted the CCP's growing influence operations and its 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 GTI report said. "The malign intentions and influence operations directed by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), and the threat it poses and harm it causes to Taiwan's democratic society, is real."

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 authors 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 GTI report also suggested that Taiwan establish legal frameworks similar to those in the United States and the United Kingdom, 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, noting that in the U.S., 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.

Earlier this month, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) announced the government would seek to reinstate the military trial system to handle military-related criminal cases involving active-duty servicemen amid increasing Chinese attempts to infiltrate the Taiwanese military.

Lai's measures against Chinese espionage also included tightening restrictions on Chinese tourists, residents and civil servants in Taiwan.