Taiwan Launches Website for Chinese Citizens to Leak Intelligence on Beijing

Taiwan has launched a website asking Chinese citizens to leak intelligence on Beijing, directly inviting people who share democratic values to collaborate.

The platform, created by Taiwan's National Security Bureau (NSB), went live on Monday. It comes with a one-minute AI-generated video showing a Chinese civil servant watching colleagues being removed and investigated. The NSB said the video reflects "a pervasive atmosphere that everyone is on edge under China's totalitarian regime."

The bureau said an "increasing number" of people have approached Taiwanese agencies wanting to provide information. It designed the reporting channel based on practices used by intelligence agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel.

The NSB said it will use technology to "rigorously filter", evaluate, and follow up on submissions. The bureau didn't respond to AFP's request for further comment.

China claims democratic Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to take it. Taipei accuses Beijing of using espionage and infiltration to weaken its defenses. The new website is Taipei's latest effort to turn the tables.

"The platform reflects a pervasive atmosphere that everyone is on edge under China's totalitarian regime."

The move escalates an already tense standoff. Taiwan has long accused China of running spy networks on the island. In recent years, Beijing has passed a sweeping national security law for Hong Kong and expanded its crackdown on dissent. Taipei now appears to be fighting back with its own intelligence-gathering tools.

The NSB didn't disclose how many people have used the site so far. But the bureau's statement suggests it expects significant traffic. The AI video is designed to appeal to Chinese civil servants and others who may feel trapped in a system of constant surveillance.

For context: Taiwan has been a flashpoint in global politics for decades. China sees the island as a breakaway province and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under control. Taiwan's government insists it's a sovereign country. The US, while officially maintaining a "One China" policy, has sold weapons to Taiwan and sent lawmakers to visit. The new website won't change Beijing's stance, but it signals Taipei's willingness to play the intelligence game more aggressively.

The NSB's move is also a gamble. If the platform attracts genuine leakers, it could give Taiwan valuable information about Chinese military and political activities. But if it draws fake submissions or doubles as a Chinese trap, it could backfire. The NSB says its filtering technology will weed out false reports. Whether that works is still uncertain.