Lai Warns Taiwan Cadets Against Chinese Espionage
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- Lai Ching-te told graduating cadets at Fu Hsing Kang College on June 30 to resist Chinese "infiltration, division, sabotage, and espionage activities," urging them to "establish a clear awareness of friend and foe" and defend national sovereignty
- Lai insisted the Republic of China and People's Republic of China are "not subordinate to each other," using Taiwan's formal name, and urged graduates to oppose communism and uphold democracy and freedom
- Taiwan has reported an increased number of Chinese espionage cases, especially in the armed forces, while China's military operates daily around the island and Beijing has never renounced using force to bring Taiwan under its control
- Fu Hsing Kang College, now part of the National Defence University, was founded in 1951 — two years after the defeated ROC government fled to Taiwan — to train officers in political warfare and instill anti-communist ideology
- The graduation hall bears large Chinese characters written by Chiang Kai-shek shortly before his death in 1975: "I regard the nation's rise or fall as my own personal responsibility"
- Ambassadors from Belize, Guatemala, and Paraguay — all countries that retain formal ties with Taiwan — attended the ceremony, as did Jordan's de facto ambassador despite Jordan not recognizing Taiwan
Why it matters: Lai's "not subordinate" declaration directly challenges Beijing's sovereignty claim over Taiwan, and the espionage warning comes against documented infiltration cases targeting Taiwan's armed forces and daily Chinese military activity around the island. Holding the speech at a college founded specifically to fight communism signals Taipei is leaning into ideological resolve as cross-strait pressure mounts.
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