Taiwan's government says Chinese spying is worse than in past decades, a message that unsettles civil liberties but comes as real infiltration cases pile up.

• A lawmaker accused a man at Taipei Main Station of running a Chinese surveillance system; police found he was just listening to an online stock investing class while waiting for a friend.
• Mainland Affairs Council deputy head Liang Wen-chieh backed public vigilance anyway, saying there are far more Chinese agents in Taiwan now than during the Cold War era.
• Recent cases span a reporter paid to plant stories and infiltrate the military, a health official who allegedly sold out for a trivial sum, and aides to ministers and county chiefs across party lines.
• Critics say the mood is sliding back into an old "the spy is next to you" fear culture, with ordinary people being tried in public over misunderstandings.
• Separately, the cabinet approved a record extra budget of about NT$608 billion, heavy on drones, weapons, and cushioning people from the Middle East conflict, which the opposition threatens to strike out entirely.

Outlook: Expect more spy prosecutions and more false alarms as Taiwan heads into local elections in under three months.