Beijing could be using religious groups to host cross-strait matchmaking events for young people as part of a scheme to infiltrate Taiwanese society, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠) told lawmakers yesterday.
Citing the Taiwan Information Environment Research Center, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Chun-yu (陳俊宇) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee that 16,000 Taiwanese last year participated in matchmaking events held by religious groups in China.
A majority of the events were held in China’s Fujian Province, which is a hotbed of Beijing’s “united front” operations targeting Taiwan, he said, before asking Shen to elaborate on the government’s stance on such activities.
Photo: Reuters
Shen said the government is not opposed to normal exchanges between religious groups, but has discovered to its regret that Beijing has inserted itself into these interactions to facilitate political interference.
Chinese temples are seemingly under instructions to refer to Matsu (媽祖) as a Chinese goddess and that pro-Beijing talking points are inserted into package tours, he said.
The Chinese Communist Party is using religious festivals to lure young Taiwanese into mixing with Chinese nationals in matchmaking events, he added.
This is likely a ploy to facilitate the assimilation of Taiwan into China via cultural influence and social networking, Shen said.
Separately, Shen said the MAC and the National Security Bureau are closely monitoring a surge in fake reports on social media and news outlets following the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday.
Beijing appears to be utilizing pro-China academics and think tanks based in the US to spread narratives that favor China or cast doubt on the US’ trustworthiness as an ally, he said.
Using Americans to distribute Chinese-made propaganda is a strategy to bolster the apparent credibility of pro-Beijing talking points, he added.
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