China says it will take countermeasures to new Taiwan intelligence gathering site

BEIJING, June 17 (Reuters) – China said on Wednesday that it will take countermeasures in response to a new Taiwan government website for Chinese nationals to report intelligence tips, saying the site exposed Taipei’s “confrontational mindset”.

Taiwan and China, which views the democratically governed island as its own territory, have long spied on each other, and Taiwan in particular has reported an increased number of Chinese espionage cases.

Taiwan’s National Security Bureau unveiled the new website on Sunday, explaining it was offering a secure channel to what it said was an increasing number of people who are fed up with China’s system and want change.

Speaking at a regular news conference in Beijing, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said Taiwan was engaging in “intelligence theft, infiltration, and sabotage activities, escalating cross-strait confrontation and undermining cross-strait relations. 

“This fully exposes their pro-Taiwan independence stance, their stubbornness, confrontational mindset, and refusal to change course,” he said.

“We strongly condemn this and will resolutely take countermeasures,” Chen added, without giving details. 

Chinese citizens, organisations, companies and other groups all have a responsibility and obligation to safeguard security, he said.

“For those who provide intelligence to Taiwan’s intelligence agencies in a way that constitutes a crime, the relevant departments will pursue legal responsibility in accordance with the law.”

Taiwan said its new intelligence-gathering programme was following the lead of agencies in countries such as the U.S., Britain and Israel.

The website is blocked in China, though many Chinese use VPNs to access other blocked sites such as Western social media and search engines.

China has tried similar tactics itself. In 2024, China announced an email address where people could report tip-offs about crimes committed by Taiwan “separatists”.

Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Kate Mayberry)