BREAKING NEWS: THE FBI and western intelligence agencies had a long history of ordering pagers and/ or walkie-talkies from Gold Apollo of Taiwan, it was revealed yesterday.
The company in New Taipei City made customized communications devices for western intelligence groups for years, according to an unearthed 13-year-old business report.
Before this revelation, the search for the makers of the pager and walkie-talkie bombs used in a devastating Israeli attack on people in Lebanon had moved to a pair of intelligence-linked companies in Europe – but both turned out to be shell companies.
Now, a re-discovered 2011 article in the Chinese language CommonWealth Magazine switches the focus back to Taiwan.
GLOBAL OUTRAGE
The 2011 business profile says that pagers and walkie-talkies may seem "to be antiques", but were actually still being made in large numbers by manufacturer Gold Apollo on the island of Taiwan.
After global outrage over the planting of bombs in pagers and walkie-talkies last week, Gold Apollo staff denied complicity and said they had licenced one of their brands to a western company, BAC Consulting of Hungary.
But that group had no factory, and turned out to be an Israeli intelligence-run front company which also dealt with a Bulgarian firm called Norta Global, the New York Times reported.
Now, the unearthing of the 2011 report moves the discussion back to New Taipei City in Taiwan.
CUSTOMIZED WALKIE-TALKIES
"Gold Apollo sells a walkie-talkie that is almost extinct in Taiwan, but its professional technology, customization and strict quality control have won orders from European and American governments, making it number one in the United States and the second largest in Europe," the 2011 CommonWealth Magazine report said.
The company in Taiwan specializes in pagers and "customized walkie-talkies", the article continued. Customers include intelligence groups in various countries, the report said. "The demand is mainly concentrated in intelligence, firefighting, national defense and other units in Europe and the United States."
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is a customer. "The FBI ordered a text-type walkie-talkie," said the report, based on interviews with the company's staff. It says of the FBI order: "The technical requirements of this product are not high, but the security confidentiality requirements are extremely strict."
The small company outsources key parts of the production chain to others. Gold Apollo "is responsible for receiving orders, and designing and purchasing raw materials", and also "production and assembly outsourcing", the article added.
GOVERNMENT FOUND 'NO RECORDS'
Taiwan's Ministry of Economy last week said they found no records indicating that the company had directly exported goods to Lebanon. But the statement said nothing about indirect supply chains, which is how most goods move from the island.
Taiwan is legally recognized as part of China, but is presently managed by an increasingly unpopular Washington-aligned political party.
Senior staff at Gold Apollo last week portrayed the company as a victim of a scam and threatened to take out a lawsuit.
But the revelation that there is a long history of people in Taiwan making customized pagers and walkie-talkies for western intelligence groups will potentially change the narrative.
by Nury Vittachi
Lai See(利是)
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
Dr. Celeste Lo (Solicitor (Hong Kong), Greater Bay Area Lawyer (PRC), Postdoc Fellow at the School of Law of City University of Hong Kong)
With the release of its latest White Paper, Hong Kong: Safeguarding China’s National Security Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems, China’s State Council has delineated a comprehensive blueprint for the metropolis’s future. Issued in February 2026, the document provides a granular retrospective on the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law and the recently enacted national security laws. Far exceeding a mere policy review, the White Paper serves as a definitive pronouncement on the recalibrated constitutional nexus between the Central Authorities and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, firmly establishing national security as the indispensable bedrock of Hong Kong’s enduring prosperity.
The central thesis of the White Paper is unambiguous: security and development are not competing interests, but symbiotic imperatives. The document contextualizes the severe turbulence of 2019 not merely as a localized political dispute, but as an existential vulnerability that challenged the sovereign integrity of the state. From Beijing’s perspective, the ensuing legislative interventions were constitutional necessities, urgently required to seal long-standing statutory loopholes. By restoring social equilibrium and erecting a formidable security architecture, the White Paper contends that the central government has successfully safeguarded the “One Country, Two Systems” framework, insulating it against external subversion and internal destabilization.
A substantial portion of the White Paper is devoted to elucidating the institutional refinement of Hong Kong’s governance apparatus. At the heart of this transformation is the fundamental principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong.” The White Paper details how the reformed electoral framework ensures that the city’s executive and legislative branches remain harmonized to align with the broader national interests. This alignment is championed as a vital corrective to overcome historical political deadlocks, thereby cultivating an efficient, executive-led administration uniquely equipped to resolve entrenched socioeconomic challenges. According to the White Paper, this high-caliber, orderly governance paradigm supersedes partisan gridlock with constructive policy formulation, ultimately advancing the tangible wellbeing of the city’s 7.5 million residents.
Equally salient is the White Paper’s sophisticated overture to global capital. Recognizing Hong Kong’s irreplaceable role as a conduit between the Chinese mainland and the global economy, the White Paper introduces the nuanced concept of “open security”. The document marshals an array of compelling economic indicators, surging GDP growth, premier global IPO rankings, and a proliferation of family offices, to illustrate that capital flourishes within a secure, predictable ecosystem. The central government reaffirms its steadfast commitment to preserving Hong Kong’s distinct institutional advantages, notably its esteemed common law jurisprudence, its enduring status as a free port, and the unimpeded circulation of international capital and data.
Ultimately, the White Paper cements a resilient paradigm for Hong Kong. It explicitly asserts that the “highest principle” underpinning the “One Country, Two Systems” policy is the absolute safeguarding of national sovereignty, security, and developmental interests. Within this recalibrated architecture, the contours of the “Two Systems” are precisely demarcated and robustly shielded by the overarching strength of the “One Country”. By projecting a vision wherein ironclad legal safeguards precipitate an open, dynamic, and globally integrated business ecosystem, the White Paper charts a confident vision for Hong Kong to navigate an increasingly complex global landscape with renewed stability and vigour.
