China has changed tactics in its cognitive warfare campaign against Taiwan, now favoring divisive negative stories about Taiwanese society, rather than positive stories about China, an Academia Sinica researcher wrote in a recently published paper.
“In the past, when its economy was strong, China liked to use positive propaganda, including proposing a number of incentives and measures to attract Taiwanese,” Hung Tzu-wei (洪子偉), an associate research fellow at the academy’s Institute of European and American Studies, said on Friday.
However, with its economy disrupted by the US-China trade war, the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, China has gradually turned toward “mobilizing negative sentiment,” for example, by spreading false reports on key social issues to divide Taiwanese, he said.
Photo: Reuters
It also creates negative sentiment and division through unilateral actions, such as banning imports of Taiwan’s agricultural products, he said.
Hung, who also conducts research for the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, analyzed data collected over two years from China’s cognitive warfare efforts against Taiwan, using the data to make predictions about China’s actions and ways to counter those actions.
His research was compiled into a paper published on July 19 in Oxford University’s Journal of Global Security Studies.
In his research, Hung found that even among people who reject fake news stories, there is still an impact through the energy spent on the cognitive processing of the false information.
Some of the disinformation created by Chinese content farms includes stories that aim to cause animosity toward the US, for example, by emphasizing incidents of racism toward minorities in the US, or by creating the narrative that the US turns its back on its allies, he said.
Hung said social media could affect China’s efforts in both positive and negative ways.
For example, young people in Taiwan are more media literate and able to see through Chinese propaganda — often using it as content for memes to satirize it, he said.
On the other hand, Taiwanese youth often access content through Chinese Web sites, or use Chinese social-media platforms like Tik Tok, which puts them at risk, he said.
“We should be vigilant, but not overly worried. Cognitive warfare is a good exercise for the immune system of a democracy,” he said.
Hung suggested the government combat China’s cognitive warfare efforts by improving transparency.
Citing examples, he said the Australian government regularly reports on the activities of foreign forces, requires academics and the media to disclose funding, and places restrictions on companies or media platforms that contravene fair competition.
“It is also important to fight back. China’s online cognitive warfare against Taiwan dropped sharply during its suppression of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement,” he said.
“That means that China cannot win two cognitive wars at the same time,” he 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