The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cognitive warfare and “united front” tactics against Taiwan have shifted from isolated attempts at infiltration to systematic operations, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday.
The assessment was included in a report submitted to the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) is scheduled to brief lawmakers and field questions tomorrow.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) military exercises near Taiwan are becoming increasingly routine, raising the risk of exercises escalating into combat situations, the report said.
Photo: CNA
The PLA last year launched 3,760 sorties of primary and auxiliary aircraft, including uncrewed systems, up from about 3,060 in 2024, with the aircraft frequently crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entering airspace in southwestern and eastern Taiwan, the report said.
Naval activity also increased, with about 2,640 maritime sorties recorded in Taiwan’s response zones, compared with about 2,470 a year earlier, it said.
The PLA has also stepped up so-called law enforcement patrols in restricted waters around Taiwan’s outlying islands and near the median line of the Strait, in what the defense ministry described as an attempt by China to frame the Strait as a part of its “internal waters” and undermine Taiwan’s jurisdiction.
The ministry said it would enhance interagency coordination and expand strategic communication with allied nations to counter China’s cognitive warfare narratives and reduce their impact.
The military is also conducting joint operation drills, which started last month and are to continue into July, to complement the annual Han Kuang exercises and enhance immediate combat readiness, it said.
The drills, based on joint operations, are to test command and staff procedures, interservice coordination and cross-unit integration, to reduce operational risks and improve mission success rates, the ministry said.
To counter disinformation, the ministry has established a platform for people to report disputed or misleading information, while coordinating with fact-checking organizations to issue clarifications, it said.
It has also expanded all-out defense education, including programs on identifying CCP tactics, media literacy, and security and counterintelligence awareness.
The military is using a range of military-civilian communication channels to highlight major exercises, new weapons deployments and the role of service members in national defense, aiming to boost public support for defense spending and bolster societal resilience, it said.
“We will continue to enhance threat awareness among service members and improve internal controls to reduce the risk of leaks or breaches of classified information, ensuring national security,” it said.
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