Taipei hits back at ‘despotic and pig-headed authoritarian regime’ as Beijing publishes identities of 18 people it claims are spreading ‘separatist’ messages
Chinese police have offered rewards for information about 18 people that Beijing accuses of being Taiwanese military psychological operations officers spreading “separatist” messages, a day after Taiwan pledged to strengthen its defences.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, over the strong objections of the government in Taipei, and has increased its military and political pressure on the island.
The public security bureau in the Chinese city of Xiamen, which sits opposite Taiwan on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, said the 18 were core members of the Taiwan military’s “psychological warfare unit” and published their pictures, names and Taiwan identity card numbers.
The unit handled tasks such as disinformation, intelligence gathering, psychological warfare and the broadcast of propaganda, the Xiamen security bureau claimed.
