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The Straits Times (14 March 2025)

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te labelled China a “foreign hostile force” for the first time as he unveiled wide-ranging measures to counter infiltration efforts, drawing an immediate rebuke from Beijing.

“China is already a foreign hostile force as defined in our Anti-Infiltration Act,” Mr Lai said in a briefing in Taipei on March 13, referring to a Taiwan law passed in 2019 detailing the punishment for people working with hostile entities. He spoke hours before the 20th anniversary of a Chinese anti-secession law authorising an attack on Taiwan if it declares independence.

Mr Lai’s use of the term may help justify measures he laid out to counter Chinese influence and espionage efforts, which include the potential resumption of military trials for soldiers accused of treason or spying.

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