Taiwan says China sent agents to watch President Lai Ching-te's family on American soil, and it is now rushing to tighten its own laws — bad news for cross-strait ties and for Taiwanese abroad.

• FBI director Kash Patel said Chinese agents photographed and filmed the Taiwanese president's relatives in the US and logged their license plates.
• Taiwan's China policy office calls this part of a wider campaign to intimidate all Taiwanese people, not just officials, and scare them into silence.
• Taiwan admits its own laws are too weak — the same tailing and data-gathering would be a serious crime in the US, so it is moving to toughen its anti-infiltration law.
• A public guide is coming so ordinary people targeted by Chinese pressure abroad know where to get help.
• Beijing is also being warned off Taiwan's elections after Chinese users swarmed entertainer Kevin Tsai for appearing at a candidate's rally.

Outlook: Expect Taiwan to push legal changes and lean on allied democracies to confront Chinese pressure overseas, with tensions rising into the local election season.