China Employes “Digital Coercion” and “Transnational Repression” Against Taiwan’s Lawmaker
On January 4, Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) condemned Chinese state media for engaging in “digital coercion” after satellite images of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) home and workplace were maliciously circulated online. A leading expert on PRC cognitive warfare and infiltration, Shen was targeted with threats of arrest for “secession.”
The images were first posted on China’s Weibo platform before being amplified by Chinese state-run outlets Straits Today (今日海峽) and Straits Headlines (兩岸頭條), and further circulated on Facebook and YouTube.
MODA said Meta and Google removed the content at the request of the Taiwan government. It described the episode as part of China’s broader campaign of transnational repression and reiterating that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has no jurisdiction over Taiwanese nationals.
Why It Matters
China has repeatedly sanctioned Shen, banning him and his family from entering the PRC and barring his father’s company from conducting business with Chinese firms — in retaliation for his high-profile efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s strategic resilience. This includes cofounding the Kuma Academy, a civil defense nonprofit dedicated to preparing the Taiwanese public for a potential Chinese invasion.
The exposure of his residence and workspace followed China’s October 2025 announcement that listed him as a “wanted” criminal for promoting Taiwan independence. This digital coercion is part of Beijing’s broader transnational repression (TNR) and “lawfare” (legal warfare) targeting Taiwanese people and pro-Taiwan voices worldwide. This strategy leverages China’s 2005 Anti-Secession Law and the renewed 2024 judicial guidelines to authorize trials in absentia and even the death penalty for so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence advocates.
Jamestown Foundation expert Arran Hope noted that the action against Shen marked the PRC’s first criminal case against a sitting Taiwanese lawmaker. He added that the move, including sanctions on Shen’s father’s company, continues Beijing’s practice of targeting the family members of critics to silence dissent. Hope emphasized that, despite limited enforcement capabilities against Taiwanese nationals, the action carries symbolic and psychological weight intended to deter other potential critics.
Congressional Attention
Rising concerns over TNR on U.S. soil have drawn sustained attention from Congress. At a Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) hearing in July 2025 examining TNR targeting Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans, Chairman Dan Sullivan (R-AK) warned that Chinese coercion is intensifying and globalizing, calling the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) intimidation of Taiwanese and U.S. citizens unacceptable. Expert Audrey Wong (AEI) detailed the CCP’s United Front–led, multi-pronged TNR strategy, citing surveillance and harassment of Taiwan supporters in the U.S., the mobilization of overseas communities against Taiwan leaders’ transits, and the infiltration of political roles by pro-Beijing actors.
Scrutiny continued in November 2025 at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) hearing. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) raised concerns about Beijing’s 2024 judicial guidelines aimed at deterring pro-Taiwan political activism. Expert Bonnie Glaser (GMF) cited Puma Shen’s case, warning that China is likely to expand pressure on those it labels as “pro-independence.”
Reflecting growing concerns, Sen. Merkley also introduced a resolution (S. Res. 226) condemning PRC transnational repression, which passed the SFRC in October 2025. His Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act (S. 1588) also includes provisions to support Taiwan’s response to Beijing’s malign influence targeting its democratic institutions.
Implications
According to Human Rights Watch, if indicted by Chinese authorities, Shen would face a trial in absentia and potentially the death penalty. While living safely in Taiwan, he remains at risk of extradition when traveling through third countries with extradition agreements with China.
China continues to expand its sanctions list, recently targeting Taiwan’s Ministers of the Interior and Education as of January 7, along with other politicians, legislators, commentators, and even prosecutors.
Taipei District Court Judge K.J. Hsu, a lawfare expert, warned that defending against Beijing’s legal warfare is existential for Taiwan. He called for expanding U.S.-Taiwan legal cooperation and coordination with other democracies to bolster collective defenses against such legal gray-zone tactics.
Sources:
[1] Focus Taiwan [2] Taipei Times [3] Legislative Yuan [4] Jamestown Foundation [5] Human Rights Watch [6] Taipei Times [7] New Lines Institute [8] Jamestown Foundation [9] CECC [10] CECC [11] AEI [12] Forbes [13] S. Res. 226 [14] Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act (S. 1588) [15] Human Rights Watch [16] Focus Taiwan [17] Lawfare
NSB Report: China Escalates Cyberattacks on Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure
On January 4, Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) released a report titled “Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025.” The report documented a staggering average of 2.63 million Chinese cyber intrusion attempts per day, a 6% increase from 2024.
China’s cyberattacks were closely synchronized with joint combat readiness operations by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), with cyber escalations occurring during 23 of the 40 military maneuvers recorded last year. China’s hacking activities also spiked during Taiwan’s high-profile milestones, specifically the first anniversary of President Lai Ching-te’s inauguration in May 2025, and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s diplomatic visit to Europe in November 2025.
The coordinated campaign has shifted aggressively toward Taiwan’s energy sector and healthcare infrastructure. Five specific Chinese hacker groups (BlackTech, Flax Typhoon, Mustang Panda, APT41, and UNC3886) led the operations, with the strategic intent of paralyzing social functions and undermining public morale. According to the report, the most significant increase in cyberattacks occurred in the energy sector, which was 1,000% above 2024 levels.
Why It Matters
Sophisticated tactics like “living off the land” (LOTL), in which groups like Flax Typhoon leverage built-in tools on target networks to perform malicious actions without installing external malware, are routinely tested in Taiwan before being deployed to pre-position against U.S. critical infrastructure, including power, water, and telecommunications grids. The U.S. government successfully disrupted a botnet utilizing such techniques in September 2024.
China can currently disrupt critical energy distribution nodes through cyber operations as part of a campaign to force Taiwan’s capitulation without a kinetic invasion. Jack Burnham, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), argues that the U.S. must strengthen Taiwan’s defenses against China’s cyber-enabled economic warfare and work with allies to help Taiwan develop advanced offensive cyber capabilities.
Congressional Attention
The House Select Committee on the CCP, led by Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), recently released the “Ten More for Taiwan” report. It explicitly calls on the U.S. to help Taiwan diversify its energy supply and harden its digital defenses to counter “cyber-enabled coercion.”
The Taiwan Energy Security and Anti-Embargo Act (S. 2722), introduced by Sens. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Chris Coons(D-DE), aims to address structural vulnerabilities in the energy sector and bolster cybersecurity protections for grid operating systems. Additionally, the Taiwan Undersea Cable Resilience Initiative Act (S. 2222), sponsored by Sen. John Curtis (R-UT), focuses on securing communications infrastructure by supporting the hardening of critical undersea cable networks near Taiwan.
Implications
The unprecedented 1,000% spike in energy-sector targeting suggests that China is shifting its focus from passive intelligence gathering to active operational preparation of the environment. Taiwan’s NSB report notes that China’s cyber army utilizes a consistent set of “tactics, techniques, and procedures” (TTPs) across Europe, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific.
Separately, a joint Cybersecurity Advisory issued in August 2025 by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and multiple international partners warned that China’s state-sponsored hacker groups have systematically compromised critical infrastructure and networks worldwide.
The NSB report reflects a growing awareness within the Taiwan government of the need for enhanced countermeasures and cyber resilience, alongside Taiwan’s expanding role and pivotal contribution as a trusted democratic partner in Indo-Pacific digital infrastructure resilience initiatives. A primary example is the $56 million Vaka Submarine Cable — a U.S.-Australia-led project in partnership with Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan — which successfully connects Tuvalu to global fiber networks and boosts regional connectivity.
While these developments point to Taiwan’s proactive efforts, the scale of Chinese cyber threats continues to grow as Beijing integrates military, intelligence, and industrial capabilities. This underscores why deeper U.S. support remains essential to fortifying Taiwan’s cyber resilience in the event of a potential crisis or blockade.
Sources:
[1] Taiwan’s National Security Bureau [2] Focus Taiwan [3] Taipei Times [4] CRS [5] FDD [6] FDD [7] Taiwan Energy Security and Anti-Embargo Act (S. 2722) [8] Taiwan Undersea Cable Resilience Initiative Act (S. 2222) [9] House Select Committee on CCP [10] NSA [11] Department of State
