Beijing’s top spy agency accuses Taiwan of pushing ‘election interference’ rumours, vows to fight separatism

Beijing’s top anti-espionage agency accused its Taiwanese counterpart of hyping up “election interference” rumours ahead of the island’s presidential and legislative polls over the weekend and pledged to take action against “Taiwan independence”.

The Ministry of State Security said on WeChat on Wednesday that Saturday’s election, which saw independence-leaning candidate William Lai Ching-te elected as Taiwan’s next president, “does not change the common wish of people across the [Taiwan Strait] to be closer, nor can it stop the trend of reunification”.

“Under the guidance of the party … the ministry will insist on combating ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities and interference from external forces, defend national sovereignty, security and development interests, and resolutely promote the great cause of the reunification,” it said.

The WeChat article mentioned some cases it said were related to “separatist forces”. For example, in August 2022, the state security apparatus of the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province detained Yang Zhi-yuan, a suspected Taiwanese separatist on the mainland – one of several actions Beijing took in response to then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. Yang was indicted in April of last year, according to mainland authorities, who have not provided updates on his case since.

Wednesday’s warning came just four days after Taiwanese voters elected Lai as the island’s next president, making the ruling Democratic Progressive Party the first to win a third four-year term since Taiwan had its first free election more than three decades ago. Beijing has accused Lai of being a “Taiwan separatist”.

Immediately after the elections, mainland Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Taiwan’s election results could not change the “basic fact” that there was only one China and that Taiwan was part of it, according to a statement released on Monday by the Chinese embassy in Washington.

The People’s Liberation Army has refrained from an immediate strong response following Lai’s victory. On Wednesday morning, Taiwan’s defence ministry reported nine sorties of PLA warplanes had been spotted near the island in the previous 24 hours, which was around the normal level.