Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday called on like-minded partners to unite against cognitive warfare used by authoritarian regimes, adding that the government is striving to combat disinformation leading up to the presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13.
Wu made the remarks at a policy forum held by Taipei-based think tank Doublethink Lab and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China to explore how policymakers can respond to mounting concerns over China’s activities and influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Taiwan has always been a target of China’s intimidation and political coercion, as well as “a testing ground for China’s cognitive warfare,” which aims to manipulate the outcome of Taiwan’s elections, Wu said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Utilizing military threats, economic coercion, disinformation campaigns and illegal financial flows, Beijing is attempting to create social division and mistrust to undermine the nation’s democratic system, he said.
“We should not let authoritarian China get its way and get away with it,” he said, calling on international partners to “unite and develop a strong response.”
There is a need to raise awareness about the nature and extent of China’s malign influence on Taiwan and the rest of the democratic world, he said.
To counter China’s interference, the government has established a cross-agency mechanism for reporting, verifying and rapidly clarifying disinformation, he said.
It has also bolstered policy communication among sectors of society and is working to enhance public media literacy, he said.
The public and private sectors are working together to counter cognitive warfare initiated by authoritarian regimes, he said, adding that non-governmental organizations can provide great insight and effective solutions to the issue.
Shiori Kanno, a former member of the Japanese House of Representatives, said that in Japan, there is a heightened awareness that “a crisis in Taiwan is a crisis in Japan.”
Japan has been boosting cooperation with other countries to safeguard a free and open Indo-Pacific region and to ensure that the “status quo” is not changed by force, Kanno said.
The Taiwan issue is frequently mentioned in speeches by Japanese legislators, she said, adding that public concern over national security issues contributed to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s decision to increase Japan’s defense-related spending to 2 percent of GDP.
Explaining how a potential cross-strait conflict would affect the economy might be the most effective way to raise public awareness, she said.
If Japan’s trade with Taiwan were cut off by a cross-strait crisis, Japanese GDP would fall 1.4 percent and might worsen, she said, citing data from a Japanese think tank.
Philippine Representative Adrian Amatong said that “as much as we’d like to strongly express our support for Taiwan,” it would mean nothing to China, as the Philippines is a relatively small country.
It is therefore crucial for international partners to unite and develop solutions to avoid an escalation in the region, Amatong said.
People in South Korea feel the Chinese threat “quite concretely” and are generally opposed to the prospect of war across the Taiwan Strait, South Korean National Assembly member Ji Seong-ho said.
In related news, the Central Election Commission yesterday announced that a review of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates from the Democratic Progressive Party, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party showed that all six met the qualifications stipulated in the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法).
No candidates hold nationalities of foreign countries, have restored citizenship or acquired citizenship by naturalization, which would disqualify them from registering as candidates, the commission said.
Additional reporting by Li Wen-hsin
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
RSS