CCP’s infiltration of Taiwan’s military broadens to include rank-and-file soldiers

CCP’s infiltration of Taiwan’s military broadens to include rank-and-file soldiers

2026-03-09

China has long been targeting Taiwan’s military for infiltration, but it used to mainly target high-ranking retired generals. Not anymore. Security experts say its strategy has changed in recent years to also target rank-and-file soldiers. Experts say that just finding out the morale in these grassroots units can help China determine their combat effectiveness. CCP agents often initially offer soldiers loans and later on offer to waive their debts or interest payments if they hand over information. Let’s find out more.

We are at the Zuoying military district in Kaohsiung, home to Taiwan’s largest naval base. Recently, a series of Chinese espionage infiltration cases have been reported.

- They’ll come to develop new areas because we have a lot of military personnel here.
- Are they targeting military personnel?
- I think so.

This young woman in the photo is soliciting people to fill out questionnaires on bustling Zuoying Avenue. On the surface, she is introducing investment and financial management opportunities, but in reality, it may be a CCP trap.

Mr. Wu (voice altered)
Retired Zuoying military region officer
The questionnaire asks what your current occupation and social class are, and then tells you that we offer small loans. People in need will actually call that number.

If a soldier is unable to repay the debt, they may be required to provide military intelligence to write the debt off.

Mr. Wu (voice altered)
Retired Zuoying military region officer
These documents or manuals are harmless and not confidential, so I’ll just take photos of them and we can just waive the interest for this period

A National Security Bureau analysis shows in recent years, the CCP has been targeting active-duty rank-and-file military personnel for infiltration. But why are these rank-and-file soldiers, who clearly have no access to classified intelligence, becoming infiltration targets?

Shen Ming-shih
Institute for National Defense and Security Research
If he just tells you what kind of weapons they have, and what the resistance will or combat morale of the rank-and-file soldiers is like, that alone provides the CCP with a very solid basis for assessing the combat effectiveness of the unit.

For rank-and-file soldiers, who may fall into a treason trap over a few tens of thousands of New Taiwan dollars, is there a "stop-loss mechanism" and a relevant legal system in place?

Hsu Kai-chieh
Taipei District Court
Once he realizes that his actions won’t be punished, we can actually take control of this so-called infiltration line and use it to feed him more of this so-called false intelligence, thereby getting him to do even more.

The CCP’s infiltration of Taiwan is already being deployed systematically. Addressing legal loopholes and maintaining the first line of defense is not just a challenge for the military—it is a national security crisis that society as a whole must confront.

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#Chinesespies #Chineseinfiltration #Taiwanespionage #counterintelligence