Disinformation about the possibility of a military conflict across the Taiwan Strait has become prevalent ahead of Saturday’s presidential and legislative elections, the Taiwan FactCheck Center said.
The increasing volume of out-of-context information and fabricated rumors pertaining to a possible cross-strait war is being created to fuel anxiety among Taiwanese as the election draws near, said the center, a non-governmental organization that was established in 2018.
Analyzing disinformation about a cross-strait conflict that emerged last year showed that content creators attempted to draw a stark contrast between the militaries of Taiwan and China, painting the latter as a hugely dominant force, the center said.
Photo: Bloomberg
The false narrative also portrays the US as incapable of protecting Taiwan and might even sacrifice Taiwan’s safety if necessary, it said.
The false reports also claimed “the Taiwanese government has started drafting civilians, even older ones, in preparation for war,” it said.
Disinformation about Taiwan’s military conscription surged last year amid calls in Taiwan for better civil defense preparation and as the Ministry of National Defense was proposing amendments to the General Mobilization Act (全民防衛動員準備法), the center said.
The draft amendments say that the government would plan how best to mobilize civilians, including members of the alternative military service, to ensure that the country is well prepared in peacetime and has adequate resources in the event of a national emergency.
As part of emergency preparations, the Ministry of Education should examine the possibility of maintaining a list of students over the age of 16, the proposed changes say.
However, some Taiwanese media distorted the proposed rules, claiming that the government was planning to deploy students to fight and would force young people to manufacture weapons in the event of a war, the center added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS