Last week, the South China Morning Post reported that Chinese academics and strategists have proposed the creation of a “shadow government” for Taiwan. The plan involves setting up a fully prepared administrative body, referred to as the “Central Taiwan Work Committee,” which would be ready to take over in Taiwan immediately upon unification — whether achieved through peaceful means or military action. The proposal emphasizes the committee’s role in swiftly assuming control of the island’s administration if unification were to occur.
The proposed committee would handle tasks such as currency conversion and infrastructure integration between Taiwan and China, while also encouraging Taiwanese participation in takeover discussions.
The plan aligns with Beijing’s 2022 white paper on Taiwan, titled “The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era,” which emphasizes a swift and decisive integration of Taiwan into the People’s Republic of China (PRC). A “shadow government” would make this annexation less problematic.
The proposal suggests that Beijing is considering a more calculated approach, with a pre-emptive administrative takeover potentially preceding any military action or formal annexation.
The shadow government paper originated from the Cross-Strait Institute of Urban Planning at Xiamen University and was initially posted on WeChat before being removed. The institute, part of the university’s architecture and civil engineering school, confirmed its authorship and hinted at plans to repost the article, although it has not reappeared.
While this proposal appears to be linked to a single academic paper rather than an official government policy, it is important to note that Chinese think tanks and universities operate under strict government oversight, aligning their publications with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) directives. The publication and subsequent removal of such a controversial paper could be part of Beijing’s broader psychological and information warfare strategy against Taiwan.
One particularly concerning aspect of the paper is its mention of activating a fifth column — a network of pro-CCP agents and sympathizers embedded in Taiwan. This idea closely mirrors the themes depicted in the trailer for the Taiwanese-produced TV series Zero Day, which explores a hypothetical Chinese invasion of the nation. Beijing has consistently denied the existence of a fifth column in Taiwan.
Chinese officials argue that these claims are fabricated by Taiwan’s government and media to incite fear and resistance to unification. Despite ongoing reports from Taiwan of espionage and infiltration, Beijing maintains that its policies toward Taiwan are transparent and focused on peaceful unification, denying any covert operations aimed at undermining Taiwan’s government.
However, the inclusion of the fifth column as part of the plan outlined in the Xiamen University paper confirms that such a network indeed exists and is part of Beijing’s broader strategy.
The Global Taiwan Institute confirms that from 2008 to 2016, Beijing significantly intensified its “united front” operations and intelligence activities in Taiwan, expanding its fifth column of pro-China agents, sympathizers and organizations. These operatives were embedded across sectors, including economics, media, culture, religion, industry and politics. The covert network, which has grown increasingly comprehensive, forms the foundation of China’s political warfare strategy against Taiwan, aiming to advance Beijing’s interests and potentially destabilize Taiwan from within.
Between 2000 and 2020, Taiwan recorded 62 cases of espionage targeting military personnel, businesspeople, media professionals and political leaders. Several espionage cases have involved Taiwanese military officers passing sensitive information to China. Chinese intelligence notably attempted to compromise Taiwan’s highest levels of security, including infiltration efforts involving the presidential security team and attempts to recruit agents within Taiwan’s Military Intelligence Bureau as double agents. In the past year alone, 16 additional cases of Chinese espionage were documented.
PRC influence operations have included leveraging networks linked to the Whampoa Military Academy and cultivating relationships with influential retired generals to promote unification narratives. The CCP has also been accused of manipulating media and spreading disinformation to sow discord within Taiwan. By influencing local governments, religious organizations and grassroots groups, China aims to undermine Taiwan’s democracy while subtly swaying public opinion in favor of unification.
Whether the shadow government is an actual policy or just propaganda matters less than the message Beijing wants to send: that the PRC’s annexation of Taiwan is inevitable, and only the details of the handover remain to be worked out. The timing of this paper’s publication could also indicate that the date is approaching.
Moreover, by allowing the paper to be published, Beijing has inadvertently confirmed the existence of a fifth column within Taiwan.
Antonio Graceffo is a China economic analyst who holds a China MBA from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He studies national defense at the American Military University in West Virginia.
President William Lai (賴清德) attended a dinner held by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) when representatives from the group visited Taiwan in October. In a speech at the event, Lai highlighted similarities in the geopolitical challenges faced by Israel and Taiwan, saying that the two countries “stand on the front line against authoritarianism.” Lai noted how Taiwan had “immediately condemned” the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and had provided humanitarian aid. Lai was heavily criticized from some quarters for standing with AIPAC and Israel. On Nov. 4, the Taipei Times published an opinion article (“Speak out on the
Eighty-seven percent of Taiwan’s energy supply this year came from burning fossil fuels, with more than 47 percent of that from gas-fired power generation. The figures attracted international attention since they were in October published in a Reuters report, which highlighted the fragility and structural challenges of Taiwan’s energy sector, accumulated through long-standing policy choices. The nation’s overreliance on natural gas is proving unstable and inadequate. The rising use of natural gas does not project an image of a Taiwan committed to a green energy transition; rather, it seems that Taiwan is attempting to patch up structural gaps in lieu of
News about expanding security cooperation between Israel and Taiwan, including the visits of Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) in September and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) this month, as well as growing ties in areas such as missile defense and cybersecurity, should not be viewed as isolated events. The emphasis on missile defense, including Taiwan’s newly introduced T-Dome project, is simply the most visible sign of a deeper trend that has been taking shape quietly over the past two to three years. Taipei is seeking to expand security and defense cooperation with Israel, something officials
“Can you tell me where the time and motivation will come from to get students to improve their English proficiency in four years of university?” The teacher’s question — not accusatory, just slightly exasperated — was directed at the panelists at the end of a recent conference on English language learning at Taiwanese universities. Perhaps thankfully for the professors on stage, her question was too big for the five minutes remaining. However, it hung over the venue like an ominous cloud on an otherwise sunny-skies day of research into English as a medium of instruction and the government’s Bilingual Nation 2030
RSS