Lai Ching-Te, President of Taiwan Photo: AA / Abaca / Abaca Press / Profimedia
The Chinese police announced a $ 1,400 reward on Saturday for anyone who could provide information about 18 people they consider to be Taiwanese officers involved in psychological war operations, which they accuse of spreading “separatist” messages, one day after Taiwan has committed to consolidate his defense.
China considers Taiwan-a democratic governed-as its territory, despite the powerful objections of the Government in Taipei, and has intensified its military and political pressure on the island.
The Public Security Office in the Chinese city of Xiamen, located opposite Taiwan, on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, said that the 18 were the basic members of the “psychological war unit” of the Taiwanese army and published the photos, names and data from their Taiwanese identity cards.
This unit would have six divisions that carry out missions of “misinformation, collection of information, tactical operations of psychological war, spread of propaganda and mobilization”, says in a statement of the cited office.
They “plot for a long time to incite separatist activities”, states in the statement, which states that rewards of up to 10,000 yuans ($ 1,400, 1,200 euros) will be offered for information that will lead to their arrest.
The unit has launched websites for denigration campaigns, created subversive games that incite secession, produced false video contents to mislead, operated illegal radio stations for “infiltration” and manipulated public opinion with resources from “external forces”, the Xinhua press agency said.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense has not yet commented. The search announcement is largely symbolic, given that Taiwanese information officers do not open continental China, and the Chinese legal system has no jurisdiction on the island.
The reward offer comes one day after Taiwanese President William Lai announced the development of a “rigorous anti -aircraft defense system” to cope with the increasing pressure from China, which considers the island as “inalienable part” of its territory.
William Lai, also known as Lai Ching-Te, was committed to more efforts to strengthen the defense of Taiwan, urging China to give up the use of force to conquer the island. China reacted virulently, calling Lai “rebel” and “war instigator.”
The Chinese statement also asks the Taiwanese population to be aware of the dangers of the “independence” of Taiwan and to distance themselves from the separatist forces “through concrete actions, such as providing indications regarding their illegal activities.”
The issuance of this type of press release is purely symbolic, as the continental China authorities have no real jurisdiction on Taiwan, a territory that has been self -government of 1949.
The announcement is in a climate of increasing tensions between Beijing and Taipei, after Taiwan's launch of a new defense system called “T-Dome”.
In addition to the announcement of improving its defensive systems, Taiwanese president urged China to “give up the use of force or coercion to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.”
As a reaction, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned that Lai leads the island to “a dangerous scenario of armed conflict” and accused of “making all kinds of lies to promote independence by force, opposing reunification” with the continental part of China, according to EFE.
