Information warfare by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not stop at the Internet, but also targets people-to-people connections, the Mainland Affairs Council’s (MAC) advisory committee said in a summary of committee proceedings released on Friday.
China uses traditional intelligence gathering, as well as cyberwarfare and cognitive warfare tactics, the summary quoted a committee member as saying.
Most noteworthy is the cognitive aspect, as it could affect actual people-to-people connections, the summary said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
Teaching people to tell actual news apart from fake news is one solution, it said, adding that other options include legal methods — such as issuing heavier fines — or forming local organizations to counter such actions.
The summary quoted committee members as saying that China’s attempts to influence and affect Taiwanese academia and education have been “exquisite.”
China handles all expenses when inviting Taiwanese academics to visit and takes them on tours, the summary said, adding that these acts subtly influence Taiwanese academics’ perception of China.
In other cases, Chinese students in Taiwan have been tasked with gathering information, and subtly influencing the thought and speech of their Taiwanese classmates and lecturers, the summary said.
The government should step up collaboration with Facebook, Twitter and other major social networking sites, and gather information about the actions of Chinese cyberactivists and their cohorts to prevent further cyberattacks, it said.
The government should compile a database of previous incidents for people to reference online, so they can learn to tell actual information apart from fake news, it added.
The Taiwanese intelligence community and other public departments should also have effective countermeasures against cyberattacks, the summary said, adding that the government could consider establishing a warning system akin to the earthquake warning system.
Taiwan must implement measures that limit or control acts that, while not strictly illegal, nonetheless serve to influence others, it said.
The public cannot simply let foreign attacks slide and should consider where to draw the line to protect the nation’s democratic system, the committee added.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
RSS