China is intensifying its psychological warfare against Taiwan and appears to be using tourism as a means to collect intelligence in Taiwan, information obtained by the Taipei Times shows.
Reports on various Chinese military Web sites dating back to March last year reveal that the Nanjing Military Region’s General Political Department’s (GPD) 311 Base in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, has been turned into a center of political warfare operations against Taiwan.
Reorganization efforts have seen China’s Voice of the Straits radio, formerly known as the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Fujian frontline broadcasting station, incorporated into the 311 Base.
The station, a service launched in the 1950s to broadcast propaganda at Taiwan, introduced online broadcasting in April 2000.
The move was part of an expansion of psychological warfare from the radio station to a variety of fields, including publishing and other areas of contact with Taiwan, making the 311 Base “the cornerstone of the PLA’s psychological warfare against Taiwan,” the reports said.
Included in those other “areas of contact” was tourism, the reports said, adding that the 311 Base and its subsidiaries would make “further investments,” without specifying what those were.
News of the reorganization coincided with rapid growth last year in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan.
Among the functions of the GPD are ideological education, security, discipline, propaganda and psychological work among active service personnel. Two subunits — liaison and security — are of particular interest.
The Liaison Department, whose primary target is Taiwan, is responsible for influencing the political opinions and attitudes of enemy personnel, as well as collecting and analyzing intelligence on social, political and demographic situations in target countries. It also directs training on psychological warfare.
The role of the Security Department, among others, is directing security and counterintelligence operations.
Chinese must obtain permission from the Chinese government to visit Taiwan. Those who intend to travel independently must apply to the Ministry of Public Security through a Chinese tour organizer.
Security analysts have long said that this process presents Chinese authorities with opportunities to “direct” Chinese tourists. It is also believed that Chinese intelligence operatives have been using tourism as cover to undertake operations in Taiwan.
Since President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration opened the country to Chinese tourism, a number of incidents involving Chinese have raised concerns about national security. In May 2009, Ma Zhongfei (馬中飛) was arrested on charges of spying at a military facility in Taipei after he was caught taking pictures near a restricted area.
Less well known is that that facility houses the Information and Communication Security Technology center, which plays a crucial coordination role in ensuring information security for all government agencies.
Asked for comment, Tourism Bureau Deputy Director General David Hsieh (謝謂君) said he had not heard of such things and did not want to speculate on the motives of Chinese visitors.
“When we allowed Chinese to travel in Taiwan, the organizations in charge of national security evaluated some of the issues that this might create,” he said, adding that the bureau only wanted to focus on tourism.
Travel permit applications by Chinese tourists are reviewed by the National Immigration Agency, he said.
Chinese who are part of a tour group must abide by the schedules arranged by Taiwanese travel agents and are unlikely to engage in non-tourism activities, Hsieh said.
As for free independent travelers, Hsieh said different government agencies should have their own security measures, but should not single out Chinese tourists.
Some travel agents told the Taipei Times they had heard that Chinese “secret service” agents were joining tour groups to monitor the movement of Chinese tourists in Taiwan and report on those who engaged in unusual activities.
However, they said they had yet to meet one in person or at least were unaware if they had done so.
About 1.6 million Chinese tourists visited Taiwan last year, a number that is expected to reach 2.1 million this year.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS