The government would continue to restrict use of China-made software and hardware for public-sector applications due to information security concerns, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Sunday.
The statement came after the National Security Bureau (NSB) earlier that day said that five China-made artificial intelligence (AI) language models — DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Qwen (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶) — exhibit pro-China political bias and distorted historical interpretations.
Notably, when generating responses related to cross-strait issues, the South China Sea or China, the systems uniformly adopt Chinese Communist Party (CCP) positions, asserting that “Taiwan is governed by China’s central government” and that “there is no such thing as a national leader in Taiwan,” the NSB said.
Photo: Reuters
“We have repeatedly warned the public about the potential risks of using China-based applications, including data leakage, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and threats to the well-being of children and adolescents,” the MAC said.
Beijing is using AI language models and other apps to spread disinformation and sow division in Taiwanese society, the MAC said, adding that the Ministry of Digital Affairs and other government agencies are implementing measures in line with President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 directive to strengthen the nation’s information security environment.
The government would continue to bolster media literacy education and help the public better identify disinformation to counter Beijing’s use of Chinese-made apps for infiltration and “united front” work, it said.
Tunghai University Cross-Strait Research Center deputy executive director Hung Pu-chao (洪浦釗) said the NSB’s warning about the pro-China stance of the five AI systems on cross-strait issues does not reflect technological immaturity, but rather the constraints of Chinese law.
Chinese legislation explicitly requires adherence to the CCP’s “core socialist values,” and prohibits the generation of content that “incites subversion of state power, undermines the socialist system, endangers national security or interests, damages the national image, promotes separatism, or disrupts national unity and social stability,” he said.
“Under that framework, any content touching on sovereignty, national identity or Taiwan’s status cannot legally deviate from Beijing’s official position,” he said.
“The real risk of Chinese AI is not just data security, but narrative infiltration — technology that appears neutral, but is effectively a political text generator guided by state ideology.”
Government agencies in Taiwan should remind the public that they are not conversing with AI when using Chinese software; they are being fed the CCP’s official position, Hung said.
“The NSB warning is a reminder that democratic societies must be able to recognize political influence operations wrapped in digital packaging,” he added.
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