Countries that would get involved in a Taiwan-China conflict should take steps to counter Beijing’s propaganda which says that China would not be defeated, a US military official wrote in a research paper.
Chinese propaganda on social media, along with the expansion of its military, is intended to convey the message to countries friendly to Taiwan that they could not defeat China in a conflict, and therefore should not become involved, US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Brian Kerg wrote.
Kerg, who wrote the paper for the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security where he is a research fellow, said that China observers should see Beijing’s “Joint Sword-2024A” military exercises held last month from that perspective.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
China would have policymakers in the US and elsewhere believe that resistance to a Chinese occupation of Taiwan would be futile, and therefore they should seek to encourage Taiwan to accept “peaceful unification,” he said.
Analysis of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army shows that although China is a military threat, it is not as big of a threat as Beijing would have people believe through its propaganda, he said.
However, if Beijing influence campaigns helps to reinforce beliefs about its power, then China would achieve its aims without the need to engage in military conflict, he said.
To prevent that from happening, policymakers and analysts should understand the nature and depth of Beijing’s influence campaign, and be aware of its relative vulnerability in the event of an attempted invasion of Taiwan, he said.
Policymakers should also work to dispel misconceptions about the strength of China’s military power, he said.
Although Beijing likely has the air and sea capabilities to blockade Taiwan, maintaining the blockade might also be strategically detrimental to Beijing and would damage China’s economy, he said, adding that a complete and long-term blockade would put great pressure on China’s military.
An amphibious assault on Taiwan would be larger in scale and more complex than the Normandy landings during World War II, and would require joint planning and coordination on a level that the various branches of the People’s Liberation Army lack the capability for, he said.
Countering China’s narrative must be pre-emptive, and policymakers must emphasize China’s vulnerabilities, so as to strengthen public support for assisting Taiwan’s defense, he said.
The resilience of US alliances and partnerships against Chinese aggression must be demonstrated, as well as the efforts to improve the effectiveness of Taiwan’s overall defense, he added.
The Taiwanese government should also make efforts to protect its public from the influence of disinformation, for example by teaching media literacy skills in schools, he said.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
RSS