China escalating election interference efforts, NSB says

ATTEMPTS AT INTIMIDATION: China’s transnational repression efforts have intensified, as it changes tactics to evade Taiwan’s laws, the NSB director-general said

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China is shifting its election interference efforts in Taiwan toward specific groups, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday.

For example, Beijing is mobilizing airlines to offer discounted tickets to certain Taiwanese living in China to return home to vote in next month’s local government elections, Tsai said.

In addition, the bureau believes China is providing illicit funding to candidates and political groups it supports, he told reporters ahead of a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, where he reported on the NSB’s intelligence work so far in the second half of this year.

National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen, left, speaks to reporters at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Fabian Hamacher, Reuters

The bureau and other intelligence agencies are investigating suspected interference cases and have identified several key tactics used by China, including suspected bribery of voters by offering cheap sightseeing tours to China, Tsai said.

Another suspected tactic is spreading disinformation and controversial content, operating illegal betting pools and hacking specific people to steal election-related intelligence for targeted interference, he said.

The bureau is using artificial intelligence tools to trace the sources of disinformation and related content, he said.

It is collecting evidence of suspected election interference and hopes to hand it over to judicial authorities for investigation before the Nov. 28 elections, he added.

In his report to the committee, Tsai said the Government Service Network was dealing with an average of about 2.58 million cyberintrusion attempts per day as of last month, a sharp increase from June.

The NSB does not rule out that the increased activity was linked to preparations for interference in the local government elections, he said.

Asked by reporters about an incident in which comedian Huang Yi-hao (黃逸豪), who is known for making fun of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), was injured in an allegedly staged traffic accident, Tsai said it had crossed a serious line in Taiwan’s democratic and rule-of-law society.

Prosecutors in New Taipei City suspect that the incident was instigated by China to stop Huang from performing.

Several people, including a Chinese national identified only as “K” who allegedly planned the attack, were indicted on Wednesday.

China’s transnational repression is intensifying, with its tactics shifting from surveillance and violent intimidation to other forms of harassment intended to evade Taiwan’s laws, including the alleged staging of traffic accidents, Tsai said.

The priority in that case is to protect the victim and to ensure that those responsible face severe punishment, he added.

Local networks that cooperate in incidents such as the attack on Huang are mostly criminal gangs or private investigation firms linked to organized crime, Tsai said.

“The NSB is concerned with whether anyone behind them has been directed and funded by the Chinese Communist Party. How to dismantle the entire criminal group and network is a key focus for us,” he said.

Taiwan might need to amend its laws to better deal with China’s activities, he added.

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in a separate statement yesterday said people should be more vigilant and never assist hostile foreign forces or allow themselves to be exploited as local collaborators.

Separately, China Coast Guard activities to the east of Taiwan are becoming more routine, and often involve research vessels, Tsai said.

He said he was particularly concerned with the appearance of Chinese militia boats to Taiwan’s east and southwest.

“Generally speaking, militia fishing boats are more commonly seen in the South China Sea, so the emergence of this situation around Taiwan is significant,” Tsai said.