Taiwan Dismisses Allegations of Secret Intelligence Meetings with Dutch Officials
REPORTER:
Taiwanese officials have dismissed online reports that its intelligence officers held secret meetings with Dutch counterparts earlier this year. They say the allegations were spread by a group with links to the Chinese Communist Party.
Flight details, meeting records, even photos of the delegation have been circulating. This article has raised eyebrows in Taiwan. It claims that six senior officials from Taiwan’s Military Intelligence Bureau secretly traveled to the Netherlands in May to meet with their Dutch counterparts. Details about their identities and itinerary were then leaked online.
The article also alleges that the Netherlands asked Taiwan to help spy on two top semiconductor experts. Taiwan’s defense ministry denies the allegations, blaming intelligence efforts for the report.
The article is from Hungary’s “Europe Master” website, owned by the pro-Beijing community there. It spreads claims about intelligence sharing between our Military Intelligence Bureau and allied agencies. The Bureau said today that this information is distorted and does not align with facts.
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau also chimed in, saying it’ll conduct a thorough investigation into possible internal accomplices.
We need to quickly carry out an internal investigation to determine whether it’s an issue of staff security or an issue of information security. We will also look into how the information was spread, tracing its source to understand the method used as well as the possible motives behind it.
Analysts say intelligence operations are conducted against Taiwan on a regular basis, from previously offering bounties for information on Taiwan’s military units to this publicizing of alleged Taiwan–Europe intelligence exchanges. Some see this as trying to show off intelligence capabilities to sow discord within Taiwan.
Personal data was posted online. The main purpose was to show that doesn’t just rely on online intelligence. It is also meant to create mutual suspicion and mutual distrust within our units. It may also be to cause trouble between Taiwan and its allies. It disrupted the rhythm of our security ties with allied partners. That was part of its intended impact. It is essentially an intelligence operation. And it serves the purpose of cognitive warfare.
With the leaks already out in the public, security experts say it highlights a growing need for Taiwan to strengthen its counterintelligence and cybersecurity.
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