Global Red Infiltration: The CCP’s Covert Ambitions Behind the Czech Threat to Taiwan’s Vice President

In March 2024, during Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s visit to the Czech Republic, the Chinese Embassy in Prague orchestrated a “demonstrative car collision” targeting her, an operation exposed by Czech military intelligence, sparking global outrage. This thwarted incident is not merely a direct threat against Taiwan but unveils the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) covert “red infiltration” strategy to expand its global influence. As an independent journalist, I analyze how the CCP employs economic coercion, intelligence operations, and information control to suppress democratic voices, using authoritative data and cases. This article explores the CCP’s infiltration actions over the past decade, their objectives, and challenges to the free world, calling for vigilance and global cooperation to safeguard democracy.

The Hsiao Bi-khim incident exposes the CCP’s hostility toward Taiwan and provocations against democratic nations. A Czech military intelligence report confirmed that Chinese diplomats tailed Hsiao, gathered her itinerary, and planned a collision to intimidate Taiwanese officials. Czech outlet iROZHLAS reported that this violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, prompting the Czech Foreign Ministry to summon China’s ambassador in protest. Reuters noted similar transnational repression in Australia (2019, targeting Hong Kong activists) and Canada (2022, intimidating MPs). Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council condemned the CCP for “revealing its violent nature,” demanding an apology, while China’s Foreign Ministry accused the Czech Republic of “provoking the One China Principle,” escalating diplomatic tensions.

The CCP’s “red infiltration” systematically expands its influence through economic coercion, intelligence operations, and information control. A 2019 report by France’s IRSEM revealed the CCP’s “Machiavellian” tactics via its United Front and Ministry of State Security, blending economic inducements with political threats. In 2021, Lithuania faced trade sanctions for allowing a Taiwanese office, with exports to China dropping 30%. In 2025, the Czech Foreign Ministry reported cyberattacks by China’s APT31 group, stealing diplomatic data. Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 Press Freedom Index ranks China 177/180, with stringent censorship concealing infiltration efforts and obstructing international oversight, enabling operations like the Hsiao incident to evade scrutiny.

Over the past decade, CCP infiltration has targeted both democratic and developing nations with alarming reach. In 2017, Australia’s ASIO exposed CCP donations exceeding AUD 6 million to influence politicians. In 2020, a UN report warned that Huawei’s 70% network coverage in Africa enabled surveillance used to suppress opposition in Uganda and Zambia. In 2024, a U.S. House report revealed CCP pressure through Confucius Institutes on over 100 universities across 50 countries, curbing academic freedom. In 2025, the UK Foreign Office noted China’s $30 billion investments in Latin America, promoting authoritarian governance in 30 countries. These cases illustrate the CCP’s global network of influence, leveraging economic and political tools.

The CCP’s infiltration seeks to cement geopolitical hegemony, suppress democratic values, and control global narratives. A 2023 ASPI report highlighted the CCP’s export of surveillance technology via the Belt and Road Initiative to 60 countries, reinforcing authoritarianism. In 2024, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs warned of CCP disinformation campaigns influencing Poland’s 2023 election. In 2025, National Review exposed the CCP’s collection of 1.5 billion TikTok U.S. user data points for narrative manipulation. The Hsiao incident reflects the CCP’s strategy to isolate Taiwan through intimidation, aiming to sever its international alliances and weaken its democratic influence in the global arena.

Taiwan remains the CCP’s primary infiltration target, facing both military and non-military threats. In 2025, the People’s Liberation Army deployed 74 warplanes in the Taiwan Strait, with 61 crossing the median line, setting a single-day record to pressure Taiwan’s democracy. Taiwan’s 2025 defense budget of $20 billion is just 1/12 of China’s $245 billion, underscoring asymmetric threats. In 2023, Canada’s Security Intelligence Service reported CCP interference in Vancouver’s local elections through Chinese communities to weaken pro-Taiwan voices. By combining military intimidation with political infiltration, the CCP aims to erode Taiwan’s democratic model and its global legitimacy.

Red infiltration poses a profound threat to the free world, eroding democratic foundations and the international order. In 2024, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning CCP transnational repression, urging sanctions and asset freezes on involved officials. A 2023 U.S. House Select Committee on China report documented CCP pressure via Confucius Institutes on universities in 50 countries. In 2025, the UK Foreign Office warned of China’s $30 billion investments spreading authoritarianism across 30 African and Latin American nations. The Hsiao incident serves as a stark reminder that the CCP’s infiltration is not a mere diplomatic spat but a systemic challenge to democratic values.

The root of red infiltration lies in the CCP’s political system, where lack of press freedom and information opacity eliminate public oversight. Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 report ranks China’s press freedom fourth-worst (177/180), with independent media eradicated, concealing actions like the Hsiao incident. China’s 2024 defense budget of $245 billion disclosed only a total figure, with no detailed breakdown, thwarting accountability. Without elections, citizens cannot curb official abuses, such as the Prague embassy’s illicit actions. This systemic opacity fuels global infiltration, enabling unchecked operations and necessitating international scrutiny of its political roots.

Countering red infiltration demands global cooperation and democratic unity. Democracies should form an anti-infiltration alliance, expanding intelligence-sharing networks like the Five Eyes to include Taiwan and the Czech Republic. Economically, decoupling from China reduces dependency, as seen in the U.S.’s $100 billion TSMC investment in 2025. Supporting independent media, such as the EU’s 2024 funding for Asian journalists, breaks information blockades. The Hsiao incident underscores that compromise cannot halt CCP infiltration—only unity and transparency can safeguard freedom. Democracies and citizens must act collectively to counter this invisible threat and protect the global democratic order.

Red infiltration is the 21st century’s invisible war, with the Hsiao Bi-khim incident sounding a critical alarm. The CCP’s ambition extends beyond isolating Taiwan to reshaping the global order and silencing free voices. Democracies must unite to resist, and the public should champion truth dissemination. Truth and solidarity are the only weapons to dismantle red terror—only openness and justice can restore safety to the free world. The international community must respond decisively, ensuring democratic values prevail against the CCP’s covert ambitions.