A fake news report from China claiming that its consulate in Osaka evacuated 750 Chinese from Kansai International Airport on Wednesday caused chaos for the Taiwanese representative office in Japan.
The report claimed that Taiwanese could be evacuated if they identified themselves as “Chinese,” a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that Internet users contacted the office online asking why China could evacuate its people, but Taiwan could not.
The story was later confirmed to be fake when a Taiwanese traveler who was among those stranded at the airport confirmed that outside buses could not enter the airport’s pickup area, as the bridge to the airport was damaged and had been closed to outside traffic.
Instead, stranded travelers could take airport buses to nearby Izumisano Station, where they could board trains, or fast ferries to Kobe Airport.
The buses sent by the Chinese consulate picked up people from Izumisano, which is 11.6km from the airport, the traveler said.
The fake report showed that China was even willing to politicize disaster-response measures, the official said.
The report circulated on Chinese social media platform Weibo, with users commenting that their “mother country is so powerful” and one saying of non-Chinese trapped at the airport: “the foreigners trapped at Kansai International Airport are stupid.”
The use of fake news to cause social disruption is one of China’s “united front” strategies, the official said, citing Chinese interference in the aftermath of a Taiwanese man’s death in Kenya last month.
The man was traveling with a tour group near the shore of Kenya’s Lake Naivasha when he was attacked by a hippopotamus.
The Chinese embassy said that the man was Chinese, which was how media outlets then reported the accident, causing confusion for those responding.
Fake news affects countries worldwide and must be addressed by the government, the official said.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS