The National Security Bureau (NSB) has established a task force at President William Lai’s (賴清德) request to prevent foreign interference in the Nov. 28 local elections, the bureau said yesterday.
The task force would seek to prevent attempts to manipulate the nine-in-one local elections by outside forces, an NSB statement cited Lai as saying at an event yesterday marking the 71st anniversary of the bureau’s founding and the graduation of new agents.
China is expected to use disinformation, fake polls, election gambling, and the lure of tourism and economic exchange to meddle in the elections, he said.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan faces new types of national security threats emanating from China amid a rapidly changing geopolitical environment, Lai said.
He highlighted Beijing’s hostile actions aimed at Taiwan, including military and economic coercion, “gray zone” activity, cyberattacks, cognitive warfare campaigns and attempts to infiltrate the government, armed forces, civic groups and key companies in the private sector.
The actions are part of a coordinated multi-domain effort to sow division in Taiwan and weaken the nation’s credibility among its friends and allies, Lai said.
Countering China’s “united front” tactics, attempts at infiltration and threats of annexation are the NSB’s top priority, he said, adding that the bureau must concentrate its efforts and cooperate with law enforcement to protect the nation’s democracy.
Taiwan, which is on the front line of authoritarian expansionism, has valuable intelligence to offer to allies, Lai said, urging the NSB to increase intelligence sharing and cooperation with its counterparts in friendly countries.
The president also praised the NSB for on Monday declassifying political archives from the Martial Law period and transferring them to the National Archives Administration, which he said was a milestone in transitional justice.
In related news, Lai told Taiwanese investors with businesses in China that his administration’s consistent policy has been to seek common ground with Beijing by improving the well-being of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan and China should strive for peaceful co-development through dialogue, understanding and reconciliation, as the two sides have a common enemy in climate change and common interest in peace and prosperity, he said at an event in Taichung.
He highlighted the goals in an address he gave during a 2014 visit to Shanghai’s Fudan University, Lai said.
The Lai administration continues former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) policy aims of putting the economy first and creating business opportunities for the private sector, he said.
Taiwan’s economy performed well last year despite US tariffs, and officials are projecting 7.71 percent GDP growth for this year following Taipei’s trade negotiations with Washington, Lai said.
The government is also implementing 10 new artificial intelligence (AI)-centric infrastructure investment projects, he added.
They include facilitating an ecosystem for AI start-ups, introducing the technology to small and medium-sized businesses, and promoting its use in the daily lives of Taiwanese, Lai said.
Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) said at the Taichung event that the government would not forget the collective contribution of Taiwanese entrepreneurs to national prosperity.
The substance of cross-strait ties does not lie in slogans, but in the links of understanding and commerce between the two peoples that are deeply embedded in society, Su said.
Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) urged Taiwanese businesspeople to exercise caution in managing geopolitical and economic risks amid intensifying rivalry between the US and China.
The council and foundation would remain the shield and protectors of entrepreneurs in their work to create wealth for a democratic Taiwan, he said.
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