Beijing Accuses Taiwan Military of Launching Cyberattacks Against China

On 23 September, the Ministry of State Security (MSS) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) accused “Anonymous 64,” an anti-China group with a social media presence, of conducting frequent cyberattacks against China, Hong Kong, and Macau. The MSS alleged that “Anonymous 64” is operating under the direction of the Taiwan military. Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense (MND) has denied the MSS allegation. Taiwan President William LAI Ching-te swiftly leveraged the MSS accusation to reaffirm Taipei’s position that Taiwan is not a part of the PRC, triggering a surge in Chinese military activities around Taiwan. Pamir assesses that Beijing’s rhetorical sparring with Taipei provides a pretext for China to increase cyberattack countermeasures with military maneuvers against Taiwan and a platform for Taiwan to amplify its autonomy from China.

On 23 September, China’s MSS announced that a hacker group known as “Anonymous 64” has launched frequent cyberattacks against mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau to seek access control to “relevant websites, outdoor electronic screens, and Internet television” since the beginning of 2024. “Anonymous 64” is reportedly established in 2023 and has posted anti-PRC messages on its social media platform, with references to the Tiananmen Square massacre on 4 June 1989. The MSS alleged that “Anonymous 64” is a front for the Cyber Warfare Unit of the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM) in the Taiwan Ministry of Defense (MND). The MSS further accused three ICEFCOM personnel with being directly responsible for the cyberattacks.

• The ICEFCOM was established in 2017 as a unit to be headed by a uniformed officer at the rank of lieutenant general. The unit was originally placed under the direction of the MND’s General Staff Headquarters. In 2022, based on an amendment to Taiwan’s “Organization Act of the Ministry of National Defense,” the ICEFCOM was placed directly under the Ministry of Defense.

On the day of the MSS’s announcement, the ICEFCOM rejected the allegation. The MND added that the allegation was Beijing’s attempt to gloss over the international community’s condemnation of China’s cyberwarfare tactics, promote anti-Taiwan sentiment within China, and inflame tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

• On 25 September, in response to a question by a Hong Kong journalist, a spokesperson of the Chinese State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), which oversees China’s relations with Taiwan, said that the Taiwan administration “instigated and manipulated Taiwan’s military intelligence agencies to carry out cyberattacks and sabotage on the mainland.” The TAO spokesperson accused the Taiwan government of conducting cyberattacks against China for the purpose of maligning China’s “political system, principles, and policies” and instigating confrontation across the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan President Reaffirms Independence Stance

The MSS allegation is the latest manifestation of a tense cross-Strait relationship that shows no sign of abatement. Just as Beijing accuses the Taiwan government of conducting operations to sabotage China, Taipei remains firm in its position that Taiwan is independent of the PRC. The Taiwan administration has also indicated its commitment to reducing Taiwan’s economic dependence on China.

• On 24 September, at a civil defense event sponsored by a nongovernmental organization affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, Taiwan President William Lai declared that Taiwan “will absolutely not sign a peace accord” with the PRC. He added that “peace [across the Taiwan Strait] can only be assured through strength, not a piece of paper.” Lai reiterated Taipei’s position that Taiwan and the PRC are not subordinate to each other and that “Taiwan is not a part of the People’s Republic of China.” He also stressed the need to stand alongside other democracies to resist autocracies.
• At the same event, Lai lauded the Taiwan government’s effective policy of reducing economic dependence on China. He noted that Taiwan’s investment in China was 11.4% of Taiwan’s total foreign investment in 2023. In 2010, Taiwan’s investment in China accounted for 83.8% of its total foreign investment.

On 25 September, a TAO spokesperson said that Lai’s speech “again exposed his true position for Taiwan independence” and was intended to further provoke China. On 26 September, the MND reported that 43 Chinese military aircraft and eight ships operated around Taiwan, and 34 of the aircraft crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait. On 27 September, the MND reported 41 Chinese military aircraft and six ships operating around Taiwan, with 32 of the aircraft crossing the median line. The scale of Chinese military activities in the Taiwan Strait on those two days was the largest reported for the month of September and they were likely Beijing’s reaction to Lai’s speech.