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China's Disinformation Offensive in Taiwan

Inside the CCP's Evolving Influence Campaign

China's Disinformation Offensive in Taiwan

This photo illustration taken on December 22, 2023 shows a user looking at content on the social media site Facebook in Taipei.

(

Photo by I-Hwa CHENG / AFP

)

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING - TAIPEI, Taiwan—During last year’s Presidential election in Taiwan, rumors swirled that Victor Lai Ching-te of the anti-Beijing Democratic Progress Party fathered an illegitimate child. Rumors also circulated that his running mate, Hsiao Bi-khim, had misrepresented the status of her U.S. citizenship, falsely claiming to have renounced it to meet the eligibility requirements for office.

Earlier this summer, videos were posted to social media platforms purporting to show President Lai promoting questionable cryptocurrency investments. Other anti-unification figures are shown in blurry-mouthed clips boasting about the government’s role in developing digital currency software. Other clips that went viral insist that the government in Taipei is undergoing a secret operation to harvest the blood of its citizens so that the United States can create a bioweapon to attack China.

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