Chinese spying on Taiwan has intensified even as relations between Beijing and Taipei have improved, according to Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou.

In an interview, Mr Ma, who has pushed for closer ties with China, said the rise in Chinese visitors was “l(fā)eading to higher security risks”. Taiwan also continues to face cyber attacks from the mainland, he said.

More than 2.5m Chinese tourists visited Taiwan last year. Before direct flights started in 2008, almost no mainland citizens were allowed to visit Taiwan. Beijing regards the island as a renegade province, and for decades tension between the two had been one of Asia’s flashpoints. That has changed as Mr Ma, elected in 2008, sought to use closer economic integration with China to jump-start Taiwan’s economy.