• China offers $1,400 for tips about Taiwanese military officers accused of spreading separatist propaganda.
• The bounty comes after Taiwan's President pledged to enhance national defense.
• Beijing's measures reflect its growing military and political pressure on Taiwan.

Chinese authorities have announced a bounty of $1,400 for information leading to the arrest of 18 Taiwanese military personnel who are accused of conducting psychological operations to spread "separatist" messages. This declaration from the Public Security Bureau in Xiamen, China, comes a day after Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te emphasized the island's commitment to bolstering its defenses, particularly addressing external threats from Beijing, according to Reuters and Channel News Asia.

The identified individuals are described as core members of Taiwan's military psychological warfare unit. This unit has been accused by Chinese authorities of orchestrating disinformation campaigns, including the creation of misleading videos and online games aimed at inciting secession, according to TRT Global and South China Morning Post.

The wanted notice includes specific details such as names and identification numbers of the accused officers and is characterized as largely symbolic since Taiwanese military officers do not typically travel to mainland China, and Beijing lacks jurisdiction over Taiwan. This rhetoric follows an earlier bounty issued in June targeting alleged Taiwanese military hackers, which Taiwan dismissed as an intimidation tactic, as reported by Al Jazeera.

In response to the bounty, Taiwan's defense ministry condemned the accusations as "despotic and pig-headed thinking" by an authoritarian regime that seeks to divide Taiwanese society. The ministry emphasized that these accusations and actions are part of a broader strategy of cognitive warfare employed by the Chinese government, according to South China Morning Post and Channel News Asia.

Furthermore, Lai's recent speeches have called for increased military spending and the development of a new missile defense system known as "T-Dome", amidst heightened military pressure from Beijing. China reacted strongly to these statements, labeling Lai as a "troublemaker" and asserting that his actions could lead Taiwan into a precarious situation, reflecting the ongoing tensions in the Taiwan Strait, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.