Taiwan must be fearless and stand with free and democratic societies to resist authoritarian aggression, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) told reporters yesterday after speaking at a public hearing held by a German parliamentary committee in Berlin.
Shen — who has been targeted by Beijing over alleged “secession-related criminal activities” and threatened with extraterritorial arrest — said that Taiwan should not be afraid of Chinese threats.
Despite China’s threat to arrest him, Shen said that his entry into Germany went smoothly and he did not request special security.
Photo from the Bundestag Web site via CNA
He was told that Beijing was caught off-guard by his trip, and that Chinese officials asked when he would travel abroad again, he said.
Before leaving, Shen said that his team had notified the National Security Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of his plans.
Despite being urged not to speak out overseas for safety reasons, he said: “If we back down, there is no point fighting this battle.”
He made the comments to reporters after attending a public hearing of the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid at the German Bundestag, entitled “Disinformation by Autocratic States Aiming to Weaken Democracy and Threaten Human Rights.”
During the hearing, he shared Taiwan’s experience on information warfare as an expert and as a lawmaker.
The hearing, convened by cross-party lawmakers and attended by experts from around the world, discussed how authoritarian states use disinformation to undermine democracy.
Apart from how Hungary and Russia spread disinformation in Europe, the speakers also discussed China’s influence on Taiwan and Europe, including online public opinion manipulation and offline infiltration activities, Shen said.
European countries are highly aware of disinformation and cognitive warfare, especially when facing threats from China and Russia, he said, adding that it is frustrating that some Taiwanese do not consider it a problem.
The term “cognitive warfare” has long been stigmatized, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, yet China has made information warfare one of its strategies, he said.
Shen’s talk at the hearing begins at 1:29:00 in the following video from the German Bundestag:
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