On daily basis, social media feeds in Taiwan are flooded with a mixture of sensational and carefully-crafted, extra subdued claims. They vary from fear-mongering a couple of potential cross-strait battle to narratives portraying the Republic of China as grappling with racism and meals security points, to casting doubt on its relationship with Washington.
In 2023, Taiwan’s Nationwide Safety Bureau reported a 60 p.c enhance in Chinese language-origin disinformation over the earlier 12 months, with a documented 2.16 million instances on document. Now, as tensions between Beijing and Taipei proceed, so too does the sophistication—and quantity—of the Chinese language Communist Celebration’s disinformation marketing campaign.
“China conducts overwhelming political warfare in opposition to Taiwan—disinformation, cognitive warfare, pretend information,” Liang-Chih Evans Chen, Affiliate Analysis Fellow, Institute for Nationwide Protection and Safety Analysis, tells The Cipher Transient. “It’s a relentless battle for public notion and morale. And it’s getting worse.”
In response to Taiwan’s Nationwide Safety Bureau, China is more and more leveraging generative synthetic intelligence to amplify disinformation efforts aimed toward destabilizing Taiwan.
“The standard was once questionable, however that has modified. With AI and deepfake expertise, the Folks’s Liberation Military can manipulate movies and different very convincing media,” one high-ranking Taiwanese army official working in psychological operations, who spoke anonymously as a result of they aren’t licensed to talk on the document, tells The Cipher Transient. “Generally, in addition they take uncooked native footage and re-edit it to seem as if it’s coming from inside Taiwan, making it extra plausible and simpler to affect individuals.”
To date in 2025, greater than 500,000 “controversial messages” linked again to China have circulated on platforms like Fb, TikTok, and X, usually spiking throughout politically delicate moments equivalent to President Lai Ching-te’s statements on cross-strait relations or main bulletins like new U.S. investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Firm (TSMC).
Disinformation can be unfold by means of YouTube, encrypted apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, and through pretend accounts that used AI-generated profile photographs, deepfakes, and phony information articles to make propaganda seem natural and credible.
“Beginning round 2008, China’s essential technique was to buy media firms in Taiwan to unfold their narratives simply. This was considerably profitable. However in 2014, after the Sunflower Motion, a big student-led social motion, China realized younger individuals weren’t watching conventional TV; they obtained information on-line,” DPP Legislator and Affiliate Professor at Nationwide Taipei College Graduate College of Criminology, Puma Shen, tells The Cipher Transient. “They created many web sites that acted like information retailers however have been really full of disinformation and faux information. Some have been primarily based in Singapore or Malaysia however operated by Chinese language actors.”
Shen defined that Fb was lengthy the “essential channel for distribution.” His staff reported suspicious websites to the tech big, which subsequently blocked them, however “this methodology solely labored till round 2019-2020,” in keeping with Shen.
“After that, they shifted focus to YouTube. They used AI voices to transform articles into movies with pictures after which shared these movies on Fb. Fb couldn’t block YouTube URLs, so this turned a brand new battlefield,” Shen advised us. “At present, 70 to 80 p.c of political information in Chinese language on YouTube is influenced by China’s disinformation campaigns. Google tries to behave however struggles. Earlier than Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election, Google eliminated about 200 Chinese language government-related channels per day, but it surely’s arduous to maintain up.”
The most important battle now could be TikTok, as Taipei has “no cooperation there,” in keeping with Shen.
“The algorithm controls what data individuals see. It’s designed for fast, passive consumption, making it an important software for brainwashing. Even when just one video out of fifty comprises a political message, that message will get embedded in your thoughts,” Shen mentioned. “The algorithm isn’t clear, to allow them to determine what to point out and affect individuals’s ideas. That is harmful, particularly when individuals spend hours swiping by means of movies each day.”
From disinformation to deepfakes, Cipher Transient consultants are tackling at this time’s most-pressing nationwide safety points at The Cipher Transient Menace Convention October 19-22 in Sea Island, GA. If your corporation is nationwide safety, apply for a seat on the desk at this time.
Observers additionally level out that Beijing has shifted its ways lately, shifting away from overt messaging on cross-strait relations to extra passively stoking inside divisions inside Taiwan. This consists of smear campaigns and false claims about native companies. Typically, the disinformation is masked as clickbait—superstar gossip or wellness content material—that subtly steers readers towards politically motivated conspiracy theories.
The mainland’s disinformation efforts contain a broad community of state actors, together with its army’s Strategic Help Power, the Ministry of State Safety, the Central Propaganda Division, and the Ministry of Public Safety—all taking part in distinct roles in cyber operations, propaganda, and knowledge management. These businesses push overt messaging by means of state media and diplomatic channels and run covert campaigns, usually in partnership with personal firms or loosely affiliated teams like hacktivists.
Outsourcing these operations to business entities is a rising development, making attribution harder. This consists of paid propagandists, troll farms, clickbait content material creators, and information companies promoting disinformation instruments. By hiring third events to execute these campaigns, the Chinese language authorities obscures its involvement, complicating accountability and amplifying the attain and class of its affect operations.
Techniques additionally embody collaborating with sympathetic Taiwanese media, amplifying essential voices from inside Taiwan—equivalent to retired army officers and political influencers—and focusing on youthful audiences by means of fashionable platforms.
Consultants underscore that disinformation is changing into extra refined, usually disguised as well being recommendation or leisure earlier than veering into political messaging. Whereas Beijing denies interfering in Taiwan’s affairs, the rising sophistication of those campaigns, bolstered by evolving AI instruments, poses an more and more advanced menace to Taiwan’s data integrity and safety.
China’s disinformation marketing campaign goals, analysts say, to erode public belief in Taiwan’s authorities, notably the ruling DPP whereas deterring assist for Taiwanese independence.
Ching Yang, one of many main investigators on the Taipei-based disinformation monitoring group Doublethink Lab, highlighted that newspapers in Hong Kong “have just lately accused sure politicians or their households of accepting U.S. cash to create divisions between Taiwan and Mainland China.”
“They use allegations about tasks and funding to drive disinformation aimed toward weakening Taiwan’s unity,” he tells The Cipher Transient. The DPP, nonetheless, might not be the CCP’s main goal.
“The actual enemy for China shouldn’t be Taiwan,” Shen careworn. “It’s the U.S.” He factors out that there are round 13 “essential narratives” the CCP makes use of in its disinformation push.
“We examined which resonated most with Taiwanese youngsters — anti-U.S. messages ranked highest,” Shen defined. “They push anti-U.S. messages each inside Taiwan and within the U.S. They (CCP) attempt to undermine belief within the U.S. and the West typically. Additionally, they discourage cooperation with Japan and India. For Taiwanese who’re anti-China however devour sufficient anti-U.S. messaging, the technique is to make them see China as not so unhealthy.”
In Taiwan, the disinformation strategy is principally to recommend that Washington is unreliable, would abandon Taiwan in a battle, or is exploiting the island—equivalent to claims that U.S. arms gross sales are a rip-off or that U.S. pork shouldn’t be protected to devour, claims which have triggered massive protests prior to now.
These messages, usually amplified by Beijing-linked actors or Taiwanese figures sympathetic to China, don’t all the time depend on conspiracy theories; as a substitute, they illuminate actual information in ways in which forged the U.S. in a unfavorable gentle, fueling skepticism and weakening belief within the U.S.-Taiwan alliance. From Shen’s purview, the target is to “sow mistrust.”
“Don’t belief the federal government, don’t belief the ruling occasion, don’t belief democracy or the U.S,” Shen famous. “They (CCP) need to persuade perhaps 40-50 p.c of Taiwanese that China isn’t so unhealthy, and that if China invades, it might take over shortly — so higher to signal a peace settlement. The CCP desires to influence its residents that it’s the perfect occasion as a result of it brings stability and prosperity.”
Want a each day dose of actuality on nationwide and international safety points? Subscriber to The Cipher Transient’s Nightcap e-newsletter, delivering knowledgeable insights on at this time’s occasions – proper to your inbox. Join free at this time.
These low-cost, high-impact campaigns additionally serve a goal for the CCP at house. Contained in the mainland, disinformation helps legitimize potential army motion by manufacturing public assist and framing aggression as a justified response to Taiwanese provocation, reinforcing nationalist sentiment. Internationally, these campaigns provide China a authorized and ethical veneer, notably for non-Western audiences, whereas casting Taiwan and its allies—particularly the U.S.—as aggressors.
Taipei faces vital challenges in addressing threats posed by disinformation. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau established the Cognitive Warfare Analysis Heart final 12 months, to counter disinformation campaigns focusing on Taiwan’s democracy and safety. In January, the federal government pledged to double down on its efforts to counter burgeoning disinformation campaigns. In late 2022, the federal government designated Chinese language media platforms—together with TikTok— a “nationwide safety menace” and banned their use on government-issued gadgets.
Whereas Beijing’s efforts to affect public opinion have largely fallen flat, fatigue is setting in amongst Taiwanese residents who’re uncovered to fixed warnings and stress. Consultants warn that as Taiwan sharpens its defenses, China will solely evolve its ways, making future disinformation campaigns tougher to detect and resist.
“Taiwanese individuals typically acknowledge the hazard from China. However politicians right here, like in lots of international locations, typically attempt to downplay it or persuade residents in any other case,” Shen mentioned. “Since we converse Chinese language, we’re weak to Chinese language disinformation and “lawfare,” China’s authorized and political warfare to maintain Taiwan remoted internationally.”
Yang is anxious that Beijing’s rising use of disinformation as a smooth energy software might sign a prelude to extra aggressive, hard-power or kinetic motion.
“In comparison with Russia’s ways earlier than invading Ukraine, China makes use of disinformation to border their opponents negatively. For instance, Russian propaganda accused Ukraine of being run by Nazis,” he added. “Equally, in Taiwan, Chinese language media accuse the ruling Democratic Progressive Celebration and President Tsai Ing-wen of being ‘Nazis’ or extremists. This disinformation goals to justify aggression and create division internally.”
Learn extra expert-driven nationwide safety insights, perspective and evaluation in The Cipher Transient as a result of Nationwide Safety is Everybody’s Enterprise. And subscribe to The Cipher Transient’s Digital Channel on YouTube for interviews about disinformation, cognitive warfare and different nationwide and international safety information and evaluation.
