TAIPEI — Taiwan’s National Security Bureau has launched a secure online reporting platform aimed at allowing Chinese nationals to provide intelligence-related information, a move the agency said was intended to broaden its sources of information amid heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
The website, launched on June 14, enables individuals in China to submit information through what Taiwan’s intelligence agency described as a protected channel. In a statement, the bureau said an increasing number of people had recently approached Taiwanese authorities seeking to provide information and that the new platform would offer a more secure means of communication.
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau said the initiative was modeled on practices used by intelligence agencies in several democratic countries, including the United States, Britain and Israel. The agency said the platform was designed to expand “diverse intelligence sources” and gather information related to political, military, economic and social developments in China.
“In recent years, China’s economy has faced mounting difficulties, while political control has remained tight,” the bureau said in a bilingual statement. “Coupled with a growing range of social and livelihood-related problems, these conditions have fueled public discontent.”
The bureau said the website includes instructions intended to help prospective informants communicate securely with Taiwanese authorities. Officials did not disclose how many submissions they expected to receive or whether any information had already been provided through the platform. Details remain unclear.
Taiwan and China have long engaged in intelligence-gathering activities against one another. Taiwanese authorities have repeatedly reported what they describe as an increase in Chinese espionage cases targeting the island in recent years. Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory, rejects Taipei’s position that only the island’s people can determine its future.
China responded critically to the initiative. On Tuesday, Chinese officials accused Taiwan of pursuing a confrontational approach and said Beijing would take countermeasures. Chinese authorities described the platform as an attempt to solicit intelligence from mainland citizens and warned that individuals participating in such activities could face legal consequences under Chinese law.
The development follows a broader pattern of competing intelligence and reporting campaigns across the Taiwan Strait. In 2024, China launched its own platform encouraging citizens to report activities it considered supportive of Taiwan independence, according to official Chinese statements.
As of Friday, the Taiwanese reporting platform remained operational. Neither side announced further policy changes, and officials in Taipei and Beijing continued to maintain their existing positions regarding the initiative.
