Taiwan Opens Secure Tip Line to Recruit Anonymous Sources in China

Taiwan’s National Security Bureau launched a secure reporting channel on Sunday aimed directly at people in China, in an effort to gather intelligence from inside the mainland. The move comes as China faces a worsening economic slowdown and rising public frustration, and after Taiwan says more Chinese citizens have already been reaching out on their own for help and information.

Taiwanese officials said the new approach is modeled in part on methods used by intelligence services in Israel, the United States, and Britain. The CIA, for example, has recently posted Mandarin-language videos on social media inviting disillusioned Chinese officials to make safe contact.

Taiwan’s new site opens with an AI-generated propaganda-style video showing a Chinese government employee watching colleagues mysteriously “disappear.” At the end, the narrator says, “It is time for change,” as the official buys a new mobile phone to contact Taiwan. Although the site is blocked in China, Taipei is betting that many Chinese users can reach it through VPN services.

The campaign mirrors a parallel effort by Beijing. In 2024, China launched its own platform for citizens to report Taiwanese “separatists.” The psychological and intelligence contest is unfolding as military tensions rise, with Taiwan carrying out live-fire drills aimed at China.