Taiwan has seen a “significant rise” in the number of individuals charged with suspicion of spying on behalf of China in recent years, according to new data released by the island’s security bureau, amid escalating intimidation by Beijing.

Taiwanese charged with suspicion of spying on behalf of China rose by a third to 64 people last year, the island's National Security Bureau said, adding most were current or retired soldiers. China has stepped up political and military pressure in recent years to back its claim that democratically governed Taiwan is its own territory.

The number of Chinese espionage cases prosecuted in Taiwan has increased threefold in the past four years, according to a report released by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) on Sunday, Taipei Times reported.

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Thursday that Chinese warplanes and warships had carried out the first "combat patrol" around the island of the New Year, after Taiwan President Lai Ching-te again expressed willingness to talk to Beijing.

Taiwan says China is trying to recruit spies locally to carry out armed insurrection and form sniper teams in the event of a Chinese invasion. The claims come from a report published by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau,