The Guangzhou Public Security Bureau in China has announced a secret bounty for over 20 individuals suspected of conducting cyberattacks within China, according to the official news agency Xinhua on Thursday (June 5). This move escalates accusations against Taipei. Authorities claim the hackers have ties to the Taiwan government, naming one suspect as Ning Enwei. Chinese state media did not disclose the bounty amount.

Chinese officials accused Taiwan of orchestrating and planning cyberattacks targeting critical sectors including the military, aerospace, government agencies, energy, transportation, maritime affairs, and science and technology firms, both in mainland China and in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, Xinhua reported. Citing a cybersecurity report, Xinhua stated that Taiwan’s “information, communication and digital army” collaborates with US anti-China groups to conduct information warfare, secretly incite unrest, and disrupt public order in China. Taiwan’s government has yet to respond to requests for comment.

A senior Taiwanese security official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity, told Reuters that China’s accusations were fabricated attempts to divert attention from European and Czech investigations into alleged Chinese hacking activities. The official described the claims as typical behavior by the Chinese Communist Party and dismissed Beijing as a regional troublemaker and a global cyber threat.

China also alleged that Taiwan works closely with US intelligence agencies such as the NSA and CIA as part of the United States’ “Asia-Pacific Strategy,” accusing Taiwan of seeking independence by relying on US support. A social media account linked to Chinese state television claimed that US intelligence agencies provide training and equipment to Taiwan’s cyber units and that police teams have traveled to Taiwan to carry out cyberattacks against China.

Last week, Guangzhou authorities blamed Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party for a cyberattack on an unnamed technology company, accusing it of backing an overseas hacker group. Taiwan rejected these accusations, accusing China of spreading false information and claiming China itself conducts hacking against Taiwan. China considers Taiwan part of its territory, a claim Taiwan’s democratically elected government rejects. Chinese courts and legal bodies have no authority in Taiwan, which has frequently criticized Beijing’s attempts to exert legal influence over the island.