China on Wednesday condemned Taiwan’s launch of a website encouraging Chinese citizens to share intelligence with Taipei and warned it would take ‘firm countermeasures’, accusing the island’s authorities of stoking cross-Strait tensions.The warning came after Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) launched an online platform on Sunday. The website is designed to provide information in what is described by Taipei as a secure channel for Chinese citizens wishing to share information with Taiwanese authorities.Addressing a regular press briefing in Beijing, Chen Binhua, spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, accused Taiwan of using the initiative to weaken ties across the Taiwan Strait, according to Reuters.He said Taiwan was engaging in ‘intelligence theft, infiltration and subversion activities, escalating cross-Strait confrontation and undermining cross-Strait relations’.Criticizing the move, Chen said, “It completely exposes their pro-Taiwan independence stance, their stubbornness, confrontational mentality and refusal to change course”, adding, “We strongly condemn it and will take firm countermeasures.”No further details were given on the nature of the proposed measures.The website was unveiled by Taiwan’s NSB in response to what it described as growing interest from Chinese citizens wishing to provide information to Taiwanese authorities. Explaining the rationale behind the initiative, the agency previously said, “As a result, an increasing number of individuals have contacted relevant agencies in Taiwan wishing to provide various types of information.”The bureau argued that economic challenges and tight political controls in China have contributed to growing public discontent.“In recent years, China’s economy has faced increasing difficulties, while political controls remain ‘tight’.”According to the NSB, the platform aims to broaden Taiwan’s intelligence sources and follow practices adopted by intelligence agencies in countries such as the United States, Britain, and Israel.As part of the launch, an AI-generated promotional video was shown on the website in which a Chinese civil servant becomes disillusioned after seeing colleagues being investigated. The video ends with the character deciding to contact Taiwan and declaring, “Now is the time to change.”China and Taiwan have long accused each other of espionage, with cases linked to alleged Chinese intelligence activities rising in Taipei in recent years. Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has repeatedly criticized any action that challenges that status.The controversy comes a year after China launched its own reporting mechanism, inviting the public to submit information about alleged crimes committed by Taiwan ‘separatists’.Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only its own people can decide the island’s future.