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Beijing will crack down over Taiwan’s ‘crazy yet futile’ spy attempts: Communist Party mouthpiece

  • People’s Daily commentary urges Taiwan’s intelligence community to steer clear of pro-independence moves
  • Taiwanese encouraged to visit the mainland and experience its ‘prosperity and development’

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Why you can trust SCMP
Chinese state media said Taiwanese espionage activities increased from over 100 in 2018 to several hundred in 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE
Beijing will crack down and punish Taiwanese efforts to infiltrate and damage Chinese interests, according to a commentary by Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily on Thursday.
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Titled “Stand on the right side of the history”, the commentary also made an appeal to workers in Taiwan’s intelligence community who supported eventual reunification to stay away from pro-independence personnel and join hands with Beijing.
The commentary comes after reports about espionage activities by Taiwanese that state media said endangered Chinese national security, hurt the Chinese international image or supported protests in Hong Kong.

Mainland Chinese media said the espionage activities increased from more than 100 in 2018 to several hundred this year.

“The spike in the number reflected a crazy yet futile effort by the Taiwan authority to do all sorts of infiltration and damage in mainland China,” the commentary said. It said those intelligence activities had become a tool for Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to attack people with differing political views.

“We urge the intelligence agencies in Taiwan not to be kidnapped by the ‘Taiwan independence’ mindset, which would only lead to devastating results. Tsai and her government only see the interests of their own party instead of the interests of people across the strait, let alone the welfare of the intelligence workers.

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“Otherwise, our national security organs have firm will, full confidence and sufficient ability to resolutely crack down and punish any infiltration and sabotage activities by Taiwan’s intelligence agencies in accordance with the law. “

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