Taiwan warned to stop all mainland sabotage and spying

BEIJING:

China accused Taiwan’s spy agencies of stepping up efforts to steal intelligence with the aim of “infiltration” and “sabotage”, and warned the island against further damaging already strained crossstrait ties.

The relevant agencies in Taiwan must end such activities immediately, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing An Fengshan, a spokesman for China’s policy-making Taiwan Affairs Office.

State television kicked off on Saturday the first in a series of programmes detailing cases in which Chinese students studying in Taiwan are said to be targeted by domestic spies who lure them with money, love and friendship.

The allegations come as China ramps up efforts to encourage Taiwanese to settle in China permanently, offering new identity cards and other inducements.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement released at the weekend China has “framed a case” against Taiwan and refuted the accusations.

“The Mainland Affairs Council asks mainland authorities not to politically manipulate mainland students studying in Taiwan and frame our personnel for engaging in espionage,” it said. Such a move would “further raise suspicion and misunderstanding”, it said.

Taiwan has warned its people to be careful of the risks involved in living in an autocratic country with censorship and other drawbacks.

China and Taiwan frequently trade accusations of spying.

In 2017, a Chinese student studying in Taiwan was sentenced to prison for collecting sensitive information through contacts in Taiwan schools and government departments, and for trying to build a spy network on the island.