A rumor that a US military aircraft had entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) and Taiwan’s air force failed to scramble aircraft to expel it from the area recently went viral on the Line messaging app.
This kind of rumor is undoubtedly designed to decontextualize the Chinese military’s regular incursions, thereby muddying the waters. The logic could not be simpler: Blur the lines between the US, which has no intention of annexing Taiwan, and China, which is actively plotting to do so.
Given the current situation, there is a world of difference between Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft entering the nation’s southwestern ADIZ or crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait and US military aircraft entering Taiwan’s ADIZ or airspace. In short: Motive is everything.
If looked at in a superficial way, of course it would appear that both types of incursions are identical and, as such, the US is as much in the wrong as China.
This is why such rumors are so pernicious: They only deal in superficialities.
If US military aircraft need to enter Taiwan’s ADIZ or airspace for operational reasons, Taiwan’s military is always notified in advance. In such a situation, there is no need to send planes to investigate or repel the “friendly” aircraft. For the same reason, there is no need to activate Taiwan’s air defense missile system to track US aircraft flying on predetermined flight paths that have previously been lodged with the military’s liaison department.
By contrast, Chinese military aircraft do not provide any prior warning of their activities, as the PLA and the Republic of China are sworn enemies.
ANTI-US SENTIMENT
Consequently, rumors deliberately spread in the closed Line messaging app, which does not allow the gossip to be easily rebutted, inevitably propagate onto other communication platforms and social media, and are instantly shared and “liked” by credulous users.
These types of messaging operations are clearly deliberate and have two purposes.
One is to formulate the notion that US and Chinese military aircraft are both as bad as the other, and that by only expelling PLA aircraft, Taiwan’s military is weak and feeble.
A second is to stir up anti-US sentiment within Taiwan’s populace, specifically targeting Taiwanese who are already ideologically hostile toward the US.
A similar rumor was spread about Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. According to that report, the US Department of State wants the company to establish fabs in the US so that it can “harvest” the leading chip manufacturer’s industrial secrets.
The rumor deliberately focused on supposed data sharing and technology transfer demands made by the US. The purpose was the same as gossip regarding US military aircraft — to create the impression that the US and China are like two peas in a pod.
What the Chinese Communist Party and its agents in Taiwan fear most is enhanced cooperation between Taiwan and the US. This manifests itself in direct attacks against national defense and industry.
China is particularly adept at this type of social media and messaging app-based information warfare. This latest example demonstrates the power and destructive capability of rumormongering.
Wang Wen-sheng is a retired political operations officer and is enrolled in a doctoral program at Jindal University in India.
Translated by Edward Jones
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