Taiwan says China redoubling efforts to undermine democracy with disinformation

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said the island would strengthen its defences (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)

Taiwan’s government has said China is redoubling efforts to undermine confidence in the self-governing island’s democracy and its ties with the United States through the spread of disinformation, particularly online.

The National Security Bureau said the number of pieces of false or biased information distributed by China increased 60% last year, to 2.16 million from 1.33 million in 2023.

The brief report tallied “pieces of controversial information”, but did not further define the term.

Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, were the main conduits for disinformation, along with platforms that explicitly target young people such as TikTok, the report said.

China created “inauthentic accounts” to distribute its propaganda on YouTube, used technology such as AI to create fake videos and flooded comments sections with pro-China statements, the report said.

Mr Xi said reunification is ‘inevitable’ (Xinhua via AP)

The Chinese government has for years used global social media platforms to spread both official messages and misinformation even while banning them inside the country.

Beijing already has considerable influence with Taiwanese newspapers and other traditional media through their owners’ business interests in mainland China.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping renewing a declaration in his New Year’s address that unification with Taiwan was inevitable and could not be blocked by outside forces – a likely reference to the US, Taiwan’s most important ally.

China regularly sends warplanes, ships and balloons into areas controlled by Taiwan and holds military drills to simulate a blockade or invasion of the island.

Beijing has also been building up its navy and missile forces to hit key targets and fend off American military support.

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said in his own New Year’s address that the island would continue to strengthen its defences in the face of escalating Chinese threats.

Taiwan, he said, was a crucial part of the global “line of defence of democracy” against authoritarian states such as China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.