Khaberni - China announced on Saturday financial rewards for those who provide information about 18 individuals it says are officers in the "psychological warfare" unit of the army, accusing them of incitement to "secession" and spreading propaganda against China.
The police in the coastal city of Xiamen, which faces Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait, said they have set rewards of up to 10,000 yuan (about 1400 dollars) for each person who provides information leading to the arrest of these officers. The Chinese authorities have published their pictures, names, and numbers of their Taiwanese cards in an unprecedented move that has both propaganda and security aspects.
A statement from the Xiamen Public Security Bureau indicated that these officers constitute the main nerve of the Taiwanese psychological warfare unit, accusing them of working on deception and propaganda dissemination and intelligence gathering for the Taipei government. The statement added that the unit "has long conspired to incite separatist activities aimed at undermining China's unity."
The official "Xinhua" agency quoted security sources as saying that the pursued officers had launched websites for smear campaigns and produced "fabricated" visual content, as well as managed secret radios to infiltrate mainland China, coordinating with "foreign forces" without naming them.
In contrast, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense accused China of launching a "knowledge war" aimed at undermining confidence in the island's democratic system.
This development comes after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te pledged yesterday, Friday, to enhance his country's defenses, calling on Beijing to "abandon the logic of force" and to cease attempts to take control of the island by military force. China angrily responded to his statements, describing President Lai as a "troublemaker and warmonger."
