Voters in the nine-in-one local elections on Nov. 26 did not regard the China issue as the most important concern when casting their ballots, despite Beijing’s best efforts. The Information Operations Research Group uncovered a lot of disinformation spread by China this year in its attempts to sway voters with its rhetoric on “war” and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disinformation regarding war might be more effective in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. In a report released on Saturday based on a review of more than 8 million Facebook posts, 6,000 news articles from Taiwan, 2,000 official releases from China regarding Taiwan affairs, 800,000 posts on Chinese social media and 50,000 TikTok videos this year found that “war” and “pandemic” were the two top issues involved when information was manipulated.
For example, a Facebook account titled “Headline across the Strait,” which the Investigation Bureau determined was funded by China, posted negative news reports targeting former minister of health and welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), the Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate for Taipei mayor.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February and China held military drills surrounding Taiwan in August, research by the group showed that China tried to spread disinformation with headlines such as: “The Russia-Ukraine war happened due to Ukraine’s provocation, so Taiwan shouldn’t be provocative to China,” “Once war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, the US will abandon Taiwan” and “China holds drill, USS Ronald Reagan flees.”
This disinformation is obviously part of China’s cognitive warfare aimed at provoking the fear of war and increasing the tendency to capitulate.
More concerning is that some politicians and pro-China groups in Taiwan are echoing the rhetoric.
In last month’s elections, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and senior party figures such as former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) spread messages saying that “voting for the DPP could bring war, and supporting the KMT would ensure peace in the Taiwan Strait.”
Former UMC chairman Robert Tsao (曹興誠) admonished Ma, saying he was trying to brainwash the public to surrender without fighting and to sacrifice Taiwan to achieve Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”
Taiwan has endured China’s military threat for more than 70 years and has never been a threat to China, but Xi has made it clear that China will use all measures to annex Taiwan. There is no room for the Republic of China, nor for Taiwan’s sovereignty or freedom.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned that “China is the only country with both the will and, increasingly, the power to reshape its region and the international order to suit its authoritarian preference,” adding: “Let’s make it clear. We won’t let that happen.”
Japan also plans to increase its national defense budget.
To avoid war takes wisdom and bravery. The government has shown reasonable restraint in the face of China’s provocation ranging from military threats to economic and diplomatic suppression. Boosting self-defense capability and military preparedness should be crucial strategies to deter the enemy from launching a war that will hurt both sides.
More international support could enhance Taiwan’s strength, but it is crucial that Taiwanese show a strong will to protect their homeland. This effort begins with stopping the spread of disinformation.
The US Senate’s passage of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which urges Taiwan’s inclusion in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise and allocates US$1 billion in military aid, marks yet another milestone in Washington’s growing support for Taipei. On paper, it reflects the steadiness of US commitment, but beneath this show of solidarity lies contradiction. While the US Congress builds a stable, bipartisan architecture of deterrence, US President Donald Trump repeatedly undercuts it through erratic decisions and transactional diplomacy. This dissonance not only weakens the US’ credibility abroad — it also fractures public trust within Taiwan. For decades,
The government and local industries breathed a sigh of relief after Shin Kong Life Insurance Co last week said it would relinquish surface rights for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) to Nvidia Corp. The US chip-design giant’s plan to expand its local presence will be crucial for Taiwan to safeguard its core role in the global artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem and to advance the nation’s AI development. The land in dispute is owned by the Taipei City Government, which in 2021 sold the rights to develop and use the two plots of land, codenamed T17 and T18, to the
The ceasefire in the Middle East is a rare cause for celebration in that war-torn region. Hamas has released all of the living hostages it captured on Oct. 7, 2023, regular combat operations have ceased, and Israel has drawn closer to its Arab neighbors. Israel, with crucial support from the United States, has achieved all of this despite concerted efforts from the forces of darkness to prevent it. Hamas, of course, is a longtime client of Iran, which in turn is a client of China. Two years ago, when Hamas invaded Israel — killing 1,200, kidnapping 251, and brutalizing countless others
Taiwan’s first case of African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed on Tuesday evening at a hog farm in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲), trigging nationwide emergency measures and stripping Taiwan of its status as the only Asian country free of classical swine fever, ASF and foot-and-mouth disease, a certification it received on May 29. The government on Wednesday set up a Central Emergency Operations Center in Taichung and instituted an immediate five-day ban on transporting and slaughtering hogs, and on feeding pigs kitchen waste. The ban was later extended to 15 days, to account for the incubation period of the virus
RSS