China simultaneously employed cognitive warfare while conducting military drills around Taiwan on Monday, the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau insinuated yesterday
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) early on Monday launched military drills code-named “Joint Sword-2024B” involving its army, navy, air and rocket forces in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan. They ended at 6pm.
The bureau said it had found several false reports online, such as untrue assertions of Taiwan’s military failing to respond quickly and that ships carrying liquefied natural gas had been forced to turn around.
Photo: Taipei Times
The messages formed “cognitive manipulation” by “overseas hacking armies,” who hacked social media pages, the bureau said in a statement, without directly blaming China.
The bureau reminded the public to secure their social media accounts and verify information online to avoid falling victim to cognitive manipulation.
Separately, a National Security Bureau report to the Legislative Yuan said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has stepped up measures to increase pressure on Taiwan and sow internal division since President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration ceremony on May 20.
Beijing’s inclusion of the China Coast Guard in its military drills was aimed at increasing the exercises’ force projection, the report said.
China is also attempting to “squeeze” Taiwanese farmers by weaponizing the economy and highlighting that selling agricultural produce to China pays better, the report said.
Diplomatically, China is stepping up efforts to malign and distort UN Resolution 2758 and emphasize that it is the only legitimate government of China to deter Taiwan’s participation in international bodies, it added.
The CCP has issued “22 guidelines” designed to punish “die-hard” Taiwanese separatists, hoping to suppress any mention of Taiwanese independence, the report said.
Beijing is encouraging the Chinese public sector to “prettify” China’s ideology through short videos on the Internet so that more Taiwanese would recognize the validity of CCP rule, it said.
The CCP is also augmenting its cyberwarfare capabilities by hacking the government to paralyze its Web sites, conducting digital corporate espionage and using artificial intelligence technology to strengthen its “united front” rhetoric, the report said.
The bureau said it would work with partners to foster joint security and, with the help of international like-minded partners, step up efforts to gather intelligence on critical decisions made by the CCP and the PLA.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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