A new Chinese television series depicting espionage between China and Taiwan has become a ratings hit, while a separate report estimates the scale of Chinese intelligence operations in Taiwan.
Key facts
- •The drama 'Jiaofeng' is scheduled for 40 episodes and focuses on espionage history from the mid-1990s.
- •Data provider Maoyan reported the series surpassed 50 million views online within its first week.
- •Jurgen Kremb’s report, 'The War of Spies,' was published in the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau’s Prospect & Exploration Monthly.
- •Kremb alleged that a woman who surveilled him in Alishan was identified by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau as a Chinese spy.
- •The series writers claim to have consulted 27 declassified national-security case files to develop the script.
A 40-episode Chinese spy drama titled 'Jiaofeng' (The Long Watch) has achieved high ratings and over 50 million online views since its September 6 premiere. Co-produced by China's Ministry of State Security, the series dramatizes two decades of intelligence operations between China and Taiwan. Simultaneously, a report presented in Taipei by German journalist Jurgen Kremb has highlighted concerns regarding the scale of Chinese intelligence infiltration within Taiwan.
By the numbers
The Long Watch TV Series
The series features fictionalized accounts of spies and double agents, drawing on 27 case files and interviews with retired state-security officers. It depicts Chinese security officials as heroes protecting the nation from infiltration, while portraying Taiwan's intelligence services as adversaries. Historian Li Fu-chung noted that such dramas serve to emphasize patriotism and establish a specific historical narrative, noting that the show is considered unusually bold by Chinese viewers for its direct treatment of cross-strait tensions.
Estimates of Intelligence Activity
In a separate development, German journalist Jurgen Kremb presented research in Taipei estimating that between 50,000 and 100,000 Chinese spies are currently operating in Taiwan. Kremb, a visiting academic at Soochow University, defined these individuals as informants and sources rather than formal officers. He further cited sources suggesting that approximately 180,000 intelligence personnel in China are dedicated exclusively to Taiwan-related affairs.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by The Guardian Asia Pacific, Taipei Times.
