Taipei, March 14 : Pledging to strengthen national security, Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te has announced 17 strategies to counter growing infiltration efforts and from reinstating the military court system to enhance scrutiny of immigrants from China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Addressing a press conference following a high-level national security meeting, Lai said that China's ambition over the past several decades to annex Taiwan and stamp out Taiwan has not changed for even a day. Beijing, he said, continues to pursue political and military intimidation and its united-front infiltration of Taiwan's society has grown ever more serious. He stated that Taiwan has no choice but to tackle the security issue with a more aggressive approach.

"China has also recently been distorting United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, showing in all aspects China's increasingly urgent threat against Taiwan's sovereignty," he said.

Raising concern on China's plots to infiltrate and spy on Taiwanese military, Lai stated that last year, 28 active-duty and 15 retired members of the armed forces were charged with suspicion of involvement in spying for China, respectively comprising 43 per cent and 23 per cent of all of such cases.

"Taiwan is alert to the fact that China has recently used widespread issuance of Chinese passports to entice Taiwanese citizens to apply for the Residence Permit for Taiwan Residents, permanent residency, or the Resident Identity Card, in an attempt to muddle Taiwanese people's sense of national identity," he added.

Lai stressed that Chinese nationals applying for permanent residency in Taiwan must, in accordance with the law of Taiwan, relinquish their existing household registration and passport and may not hold dual identity status. For individuals from Hong Kong or Macau applying for residency or permanent residency in Taiwan, there will be additional provisions for long-term residency to meet practical needs.

Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior and the Mainland Affairs Council should conduct surveys to determine the number of Taiwanese with Chinese passports, ID cards, Taiwan resident permits, or permanent resident cards, especially among military personnel, teachers, and government workers, he said.

Lai emphasised that the Taiwanese government would also take a more aggressive approach to prevent China from engaging in cognitive and cyber security warfare through the Internet and artificial intelligence. He proposed amendments to Taiwan's National Security Act, the Anti-Infiltration Act, the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, the Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong and Macau Affairs, and the Cybersecurity Management Act to ensure that all strategies can be effectively implemented.

Meanwhile, from January 2024 till March 13, 2025, the Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan has received reports of 71 Taiwanese nationals who have gone missing, were detained, interrogated, or imprisoned in China; the number of unreported people who have been subjected to such treatment may be more than that. Lai said that in light of this, relevant agencies in Taiwan must raise public awareness of risks associated with travelling to China.

Lai also called for collective efforts to protect Taiwan's democratic way of life. "As we face increasingly severe threats, the government will not stop doing its utmost to ensure that our national sovereignty is not infringed upon, and to ensure that the freedom, democracy, and way of life of Taiwan's 23 million people continue on as normal. But relying solely on the power of the government is not enough. What we need even more is for all citizens to stay vigilant and take action," he remarked.

/IANS