China Taiwan Military Espionage 2025: Beijing’s Strategy to Divide Taiwan’s Forces

Advanced | October 27, 2025

✨ Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your tutor.

A New Front: China Taiwan Military Espionage 2025

On October 11, 2025, Chinese authorities publicly offered rewards of up to RMB 10,000 (≈ US $1,400) for information about 18 individuals alleged to be members of the Republic of China Armed Forces’ psychological operations unit. The unit was accused of “separatist activities” by China’s Xiamen Public Security Bureau and listed names, photographs, and Taiwan identity-card numbers. (reuters.com)
Taipei denounced the move as part of a wider campaign of China Taiwan military espionage 2025, a psychological operation designed to sow division and undermine Taiwan’s democratic institutions. (reuters.com)

Why the Timing Matters

The reward-listing came amid growing concern that the People’s Liberation Army and its intelligence network are not only flexing militarily, but also operating in the “gray zone” of espionage, influence operations, and disinformation. (wsj.com)
Taiwan’s government responded by signaling plans to reinstate military-court measures for espionage cases and increase scrutiny of Chinese nationals and visitors to the island. (wsj.com)

What It Means for Taiwan’s Military Readiness

This direct targeting of military intelligence and psychological operations units increases pressure on internal security protocols, counterintelligence, and troop morale. For Taiwan’s armed forces, it signals that the threat is no longer just external (missile drills, aircraft incursions) but also internal and structural.
Experts say the campaign is about creating fractures—encouraging dissent, mistrust, and chaos within the chain of command and between Taiwan’s military and civilian society.

Inside the Espionage Playbook

According to the Xiamen public-security statement, the targeted individuals allegedly “launched websites for smear campaigns, created seditious games to incite secession, produced fake video content to mislead people, operated illegal radios for infiltration.” (reuters.com)
These tactics reflect modern hybrid-warfare methods: combining cyberattacks, propaganda, and human-intelligence exploitation, all while keeping deniability high.

China Taiwan Military Espionage 2025: What’s Next for Taiwan’s Defenses

Taipei will likely step up counterintelligence operations, restructure its psychological operations units, and deepen cooperation with allies on hybrid-threat detection. At the same time, the broader regional balance is affected—if China can chip away at Taiwan’s internal cohesion, it may gain leverage without firing a missile.
For English learners: this shows how military and political challenges today often combine physical force (tanks, missiles) with invisible operations (espionage, influence).

Vocabulary

Espionage (noun) – the practice of spying or using spies.
- Example: “The bounty listing is a form of espionage pressure.”
Cognitive warfare (noun) – operations designed to influence or disrupt people’s minds, perceptions, or decisions.
- Example: “Taiwan accused China of cognitive warfare tactics.”
Gray zone (noun) – actions that are aggressive and coercive but do not cross into open conflict.
- Example: “Beijing’s hybrid strategy operates in the gray zone.”
Psychological operations (PSYOPS) (noun) – military operations to influence attitudes and behavior of an adversary.
- Example: “The targeted unit in Taiwan is part of its PSYOPS capability.”
Subversion (noun) – undermining the power or authority of an established system.
- Example: “Propaganda was used to subvert trust within the military.”
Deniability (noun) – ability to deny responsibility for an action.
- Example: “Hybrid threats give plausible deniability to states like China.”
Morale (noun) – confidence or discipline of a group, especially soldiers.
- Example: “Repeated infiltration attempts can damage troop morale.”
Leverage (noun) – power to influence a situation.
- Example: “China seeks leverage over Taiwan without open conflict.”
Hybrid warfare (noun) – combining conventional military force with irregular or nonmilitary methods.
- Example: “The campaign is an example of hybrid warfare.”
Internal cohesion (noun) – unity inside an organization or group.
- Example: “A breach in internal cohesion can make defense harder.”

Discussion Questions (About the Article)

Why is the public posting of names and identities of Taiwan military personnel significant?
How does “cognitive warfare” differ from traditional warfare methods?
What risks does hybrid warfare pose to democratic states like Taiwan?
How might infiltration or subversion weaken a nation’s military readiness?
What steps should Taiwan take to strengthen internal security and counterespionage?

Discussion Questions (About the Topic)

How can a country defend itself against threats that are not obvious or physical (like propaganda or espionage)?
Do you think the term “gray zone” applies in your country’s security context? Why or why not?
When does an influence operation cross the line into war?
How might public perception and morale change if people feel their institutions are vulnerable from within?
In business or technology contexts, have you seen examples of internal subversion or “espionage” (for example, data leaks or corporate sabotage)?

Related Idiom

“Divide and conquer” – a strategy of gaining power by driving wedges between people or groups.
Example: “By targeting Taiwan’s military internally, China appears to be using a divide-and-conquer approach.”

📢 Want more tips like this? 👉 Sign up for the All About English Mastery Newsletter! Click here to join us!

Want to finally Master English but don’t have the time? Mastering English for Busy Professionals is the course for you! Check it out now!

Follow our YouTube Channel @All_About_English for more great insights and tips.

This article was inspired by: Reuters (“China issues bounty for Taiwan PsyOps unit for ‘separatism’” Oct 11 2025) (reuters.com)