A new warning highlights a growing covert financial campaign by China aimed at weakening Taiwan — not through direct military force, but via illicit financial influence.
According to researcher Ella Rosenberg from the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, China is leveraging funds generated from illegal oil trade with Iran. These operations reportedly bypass international sanctions using stablecoins and a “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, allowing Beijing to quietly funnel money into Taiwan’s financial system.
Rosenberg explains that the money is laundered through multiple stages, exploiting regulatory gaps in Taiwan’s crypto market. Once cleaned, these funds are used to influence internal dynamics — including financing pro-unification campaigns, acquiring media outlets, gaining access to sensitive technologies, and creating economic dependencies.
She warns that this strategy blends energy trade, cryptocurrency, and political influence into a powerful tool that can erode Taiwan’s democratic resilience without firing a single shot — while still posing a serious risk to regional stability.