TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Chinese attempts at infiltrating into Taiwan raised considerable interest during a visit to Brussels by Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠), reports said Saturday.

The delegation attended a forum Friday to explain to international media the multitude of challenges Taiwan is facing, per CNA. Topics included the threats from Beijing, and how Taiwan’s economy managed to reduce its reliance on China.

During exchanges over the past few days, the issue of infiltration cropped up repeatedly, showing increasing interest in Taiwan’s plight, Shen said. The attention was partly motivated by the rise in infiltration and disinformation as a result of the war in Ukraine, he added.

Shen explained to the media how Taiwan faced professional Chinese spies, Taiwanese who cooperated with China for money, and Taiwanese who worked for China because of a similar political outlook. 

The trend is for Chinese infiltration and sabotage to grow more serious in the future, so Taiwan’s response is to adjust its laws to plug loopholes, the deputy minister said.