TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Friday (June 28) it will take a new look at regulations for visitors at its main think tank following reports that a previous visitor served in a political office in China.

The Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) in Taipei City was launched in 2018 and has been considered the top military think tank in Taiwan. The institute researches a wide range of issues related to national and regional security, including cyber warfare and defense industries.

A visit in June 2023 by a delegation which included a resident of Hong Kong named as “Liao, David Yi-chien” (廖宜建) has attracted concern, the Liberty Times reported. Liao entered the institute on a British passport as the co-chief executive for the Asia Pacific at the British bank HSBC and as the chair of its China operations.

However, an investigation showed that Liao also served as a member of Beijing City’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body part of China’s political hierarchy. The two other members of his delegation were Taiwan citizens also employed by HSBC.

The MND said that as the INDSR is based on military property, visitors had to file an application and were accompanied by staff at all times during their visit. Think tank personnel were also banned from discussing confidential information with visitors, the MND said.

The ministry said it had asked the INDSR to consider whether it needed to adjust its review mechanism for visitors in order to prevent infiltration by Chinese agents. It is normal for academics at the institute to maintain a wide range of contacts, the MND added.