Taichung City Councilor Chiang Chao-kuo (江肇國) is calling on the city government to investigate 23 Taiwanese Web sites found to be sharing “fake news” from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO).
The Web sites — 18 of which are registered in Taichung — are spreading false reports about President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration, Chiang said, adding that the reports had been traced back to the “China Taiwan Network,” an affiliate of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
The city government should determine the funding source for the Web sites, he said.
The Taichung City Government said that while a company is subject to audits and is required to provide financial statements prepared by a certified accountant, details about a company’s operations and financial transactions are internal matters.
Of the 23 Web sites that he investigated, one was registered to an address in New Taipei City, one in Yilan County and two had no registration information, Chiang said, adding that the remaining 18 were registered in Taichung.
Taichung police said they would investigate whether the Web sites were spreading false reports.
The large number of sites in Taichung raised concern that the city has become infiltrated by Chinese content farmers, Chiang said, adding that it was a matter of national security.
The police should fully investigate the issue with the National Communications Commission and national security officials, he said.
The Taichung Economic Development Bureau should know about the operations and funding of the companies running the Web sites, he said.
In April, the Taichung City Government publicly expressed support for China and Taiwan belonging to “one China” and offered space in the city government building for activities held by Chinese organizations, Taichung City Councilor Chiu Su-chen (邱素貞) said.
Local pro-democracy groups protested the city’s openness toward China, calling for the “protection of Taiwan and opposition toward China,” she added.
Meanwhile, national security officials have begun to investigate the management behind several of the Web sites identified by Chiang, including Life News (民生新聞網), Finger Media (指傳媒) and Beneficence News (慈善新聞報), a source close to the matter said yesterday.
Officials were aware of “foreign forces” behind the false reports disseminated by the sites and were investigating the motivations of those involved, the source said.
The Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office had already determined the Web sites to be part of organized efforts to attack and undermine the central government, the source said, adding that they believed Taiwan urgently needs a legislative amendment prohibiting Taiwanese from acting as agents of the Chinese Communist Party.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
RSS