Chinese resident Fan Yun testifies during a U.S. hearing about alleged threats from China's government.
In a recent Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) hearing, Mike Studeman, a former U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence commander and retired rear admiral, proposed that the U.S. should assist Taiwan in upgrading its internal defenses against political warfare and espionage risks from China.
Studeman emphasised the importance of enhancing Taiwan's security clearance and insider threat detection systems, as decades of political warfare have created vulnerabilities that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could exploit during an attempted takeover.
Key steps proposed by Studeman include upgrading Taiwan's classified clearance system, adopting advanced insider threat technologies, and expanding internal defenses beyond external military hardening to counter infiltration and sabotage risks.
Regarding the classified clearance system, Studeman referred to the framework for managing and reviewing who is authorized to access sensitive intelligence. The proposed upgrade aims to make the system more robust and capable of defending against espionage and insider threats.
To detect and mitigate internal threats, Studeman suggested adopting advanced insider threat technologies. Given the CCP’s extensive and orchestrated political warfare against Taiwan, these technologies are vital in safeguarding national security.
Studeman also called for coordination between the Ministry of Digital Affairs, the U.S. Cyber Command, and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to increase resilience of Taiwan's critical infrastructure.
The urgency of bolstering Taiwan's classification and security protocols was highlighted during the CECC hearing in the context of growing Chinese military and political pressure. However, no detailed technical blueprint or step-by-step process was publicly outlined beyond these broad strategic and technological enhancement calls.
Meanwhile, the KMT, along with the Taiwan People's Party, has been criticised for pushing through a series of unconstitutional bills and preventing national security legal amendments from proceeding to a first reading. Fan Yun, a DPP legislator, testified at a US congressional hearing titled "Stand with Taiwan: Countering the PRC's Political Warfare and Transnational Repression." Fan stated that China has misinterpreted UN Resolution 2758 and seeks to legitimize the use of force to annex Taiwan.
China's political warfare against Taiwan aims to distort the world's understanding of Taiwan by framing cross-strait conflicts as a domestic issue to isolate Taiwan. The PRC has recruited criminals in Taiwan to create a nationwide network to import arms and funds, and has also been found to have influenced Taiwanese TikTok users and media firms to present a favourable view of China.
Taiwan is countering PRC interference through government-civil society cooperation, raising the national defense budget to a record high, and implementing a whole-of-society defense resilience strategy. However, as the CECC hearing highlighted, strengthening internal defenses against political warfare and espionage risks remains a crucial component of Taiwan's national security strategy.
[1] Source: CECC hearing transcript [2] Source: Mike Studeman's speech at the CECC hearing [4] Source: Mike Studeman interview with Nikkei Asia
Additional points:
- A recent poll found that Taiwanese TikTok users are more likely to view China favourably and believe that if Taipei favours the U.S. government, war is more likely.
- The Ministry of Education is promoting educational material related to national defense and security.
- The Global Taiwan Institute found that some media firms received direct instructions from China's Taiwan Affairs Office.
- The number of spying activity indictments in Taiwan, according to the National Security Bureau, was four times higher in 2024 compared to 2021, rising from 16 to 64.
- United front" organizations in Taiwan, operated by the CCP, invite religious groups, village wardens, and college students on heavily subsidized trips to China.
- A planned collision targeting Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim's vehicle in the Czech Republic was part of a series of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) activities aimed at intimidating Taiwanese.
- Following last year's presidential election, 17 legislators from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus, led by Fu Kun-chi, visited Beijing to meet with Chinese officials.
- Fan Yun stated that China has misinterpreted UN Resolution 2758 and seeks to legitimize the use of force to annex Taiwan.
- Regarding disinformation, the bureau reported that "messages with China's influence" increased to 2.2 million last year from 1.3 million in 2023, spread via newspapers, TV stations, and social media.
- Enhancement of Taiwan's education and self-development is essential to counter China's political warfare tactics, such as the recruitment of Taiwanese TikTok users, as the Ministry of Education is currently promoting educational material related to national defense and security.
- In light of the increased number of spying activity indictments in Taiwan, it is crucial for Taiwan's career development and policy-and-legislation to implement robust measures, such as upgrading the classified clearance system and adopting advanced insider threat technologies, to protect against espionage and insider threats, as proposed by Mike Studeman.
- Given the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) extensive political warfare against Taiwan, which includes influencing Taiwanese media firms and creating a nationwide network for importing arms and funds, it is necessary for general news, crime-and-justice, and politics to closely monitor and report on these activities, as well as on the KMT's efforts to push through unconstitutional bills, prevent national security legal amendments from proceeding to a first reading, and their meetings with Chinese officials.
