China intensifies fight against spies and Taiwanese separatists

The Chinese authorities are stepping up the fight against individuals who, in Beijing’s opinion, pose a threat to the security and unity of the country. On April 26, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) adopted amendments to the Anti-Espionage Law. The full text of the document has not been published, but according to TASS, the new rules are aimed at “relying on spy organizations and their representatives” and the organizers of cyber attacks in order to gain access to classified information of state institutions. According to the Nikkei, the Chinese parliament will also restrict the dissemination of any information related to national security, and will give law enforcement officers more powers to search suspects.

According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post, back on April 24, Chinese Minister of State Security (MGB) Chen Yixin came to check the Beijing department of the department, urging his comrades-in-arms to fight hard against espionage, subversive activities and separatism. At the same time, the Political and Legal Commission of the CPC Central Committee published an uncharacteristic public report on his trip only on April 26. According to the minister, Beijing has become a “main battlefield” with subversion and espionage. Chen also urged the MGB in the capital to keep the country’s “master secrets” safe.

In March, a 50-year-old top manager of the Japanese company Astellas Pharma was detained in Beijing, who, according to some media reports, is suspected of a crime related to national security. As the Financial Times wrote on April 17, this news, like the searches in the American law firm Mintz Group, was alarmed by foreign investors and consulting companies Bain, McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group operating in China. Their representatives noted that “the level of paranoia in China is very high” and this requires them to be more careful.

Residents of Taiwan also appear in two high-profile cases of recent days. On April 26, Zhu Fenglian, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, said Li Yanhe, editor-in-chief of Taiwan’s Eight Banner Culture, is under investigation for suspected participation in activities that threaten China’s national security. It is known that he published books on the island critical of the Communist Party on the mainland, and the detention happened while visiting relatives in Shanghai.

On April 25, the procurator’s office in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, authorized the arrest of Taiwanese activist Yang Zhi-yuan, suspected of separatism, according to Taiwan Radio International. At the same time, he was detained on August 3, 2022, which almost coincided with the visit of the former speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. It is known that Yang served as vice chairman of the Taiwan National Party, which advocates the independence of the island and its membership in the UN. This is the first time that a Taiwanese has been accused of separatism by a mainland Chinese court. Taiwan’s State Committee for Mainland Chinese Affairs said Beijing has ignored all requests for the release of a citizen of the island. They believe that the PRC is now seeking to extend its jurisdiction to Taiwan, including for the purpose of “intimidation and suppression.”

The intensification of the fight against espionage has been going on smoothly in China over the past few years, and there is nothing surprising in this, says Vasily Kashin, director of the HSE CCEMI. Obviously, Beijing will punish not only spies, but also activists who have shown themselves in promoting Taiwan independence, he said. Moreover, now the PRC is increasing pressure on Taiwan’s domestic politics, and therefore the new reality is that Taiwanese politicians who risk coming to the mainland are also under the threat of arrest. This will certainly aggravate relations between the two sides, Kashin concludes.

The Chinese leadership has a clear understanding of the need to resolve the Taiwan issue, says St Petersburg University professor Yana Leksyutina. Beijing is committed to the strategy of “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”, one of the important points of which is the return of Taiwan “to the bosom of the motherland” by 2049. With the approaching deadline, there are no intentions from the Taiwanese side regarding unification with the mainland. Therefore, now the Chinese leadership is trying to expand the set of tools to influence Taiwan in order to “make it think” about the need for this step, Leksyutina believes. Beijing does not consider the scenario of joining Taiwan by military means, therefore, it will intensify the development of such a “peaceful” toolkit, the use of which will only expand and tighten in the future, she says.

With the presidential election race starting in Taiwan, which will end in January 2024, the Chinese leadership will try to increase pressure on the island’s electorate, including by resorting to detaining activists, Leksyutina believes. In this way, Beijing will try to show that it would like to see the opposition Kuomintang party in power there, with which it will be ready to interact, and not another president from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). But such measures of intimidation will only further discourage the DPP from interacting with Beijing, exacerbating the already difficult bilateral relationship, the expert believes.