Taipei: Preparations are underway in Taiwan to counter espionage, infiltration, propaganda, and other national security threats from China, Premier Cho Jung-tai announced. In a recent interview, Cho disclosed that the Cabinet has identified over 100 measures and law revisions to address these threats more effectively following a national security meeting convened by President Lai Ching-te in mid-March.
According to Focus Taiwan, President Lai has taken a proactive stance by pledging to reinstate military courts, restrict private-sector exchanges across the Taiwan Strait, expand screening of cross-strait flows of talent, goods, and capital, and collaborate with partner countries to reject Beijing's territorial claims over Taiwan. The president highlighted concerns regarding the increasing number of former and active-duty military personnel in Taiwan accused or indicted for spying for China.
Recent espionage investigations have sparked societal concerns, particularly involving aides employed by senior Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government officials. Among those investigated are Ho Jen-chieh, who worked for Joseph Wu in various capacities, and Wu Shang-yu, an adviser in Lai's office, among others.
Cho emphasized the unacceptability of Chinese espionage within the DPP government and stated that priority will be given to reforming rules for special background checks on individuals with access to classified government information. The premier noted that these reforms would initially be implemented in the Executive Yuan, with hopes that the Legislature would adopt similar measures.
Highlighting the importance of protecting sensitive information, Cho mentioned that legislators often request such information from the executive body, and their assistants may have access to it as well. While welcoming healthy cross-strait exchanges, Cho stressed the need for action against Chinese united-front work and infiltration.
During the interview, Cho also criticized Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu for comparing President Lai to Adolf Hitler, calling such remarks damaging to Taiwan's international image. He noted that Taiwan's main opposition party should refrain from making inappropriate comments and should not dismiss criticism from foreign representative offices, including those from Germany and Israel.
In addition, Cho addressed ongoing negotiations between Taiwan and the United States concerning the Trump administration's "reciprocal tariffs" policy. A major focus of these discussions is the labeling regulations for "Made in Taiwan" (MIT) products, addressing concerns over Chinese exports potentially evading U.S. tariffs by being rerouted through Taiwan and falsely labeled, which could harm Taiwan's industrial interests.