China is growing more aggressive in its military activities near Taiwan and also in its online efforts to weaken Taiwanese trust in government, the island’s defense ministry said on Thursday.
In a new edition of a report released every two years, the defense ministry said that Beijing is sharpening its ability to stage a surprise attack against the democratically governed island, which China claims as its territory.
The report cited seven rounds of major Chinese war games around the island since 2022 and other non-combat operations — known as grey zone tactics — as forms of military pressure on Taiwan.
“The Chinese communists have adopted grey zone harassment tactics, combined with joint combat readiness patrols, targeted military exercises and cognitive warfare, posing a comprehensive threat to us,” the report said.
Among the Chinese operations reported earlier this year were a live-fire exercise off the coast of the Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung, amphibious landing exercises in the South China Sea, and a series of sorties in the Taiwan Strait.
Online, China is using artificial intelligence tools to search for security vulnerabilities and employing a “professional cyber army” to spread disinformation and sow discord, the report said.
Earlier this year, RFA’s Asia Fact Check Lab reported on Chinese digital influence campaigns in Taiwan and groups that communicated through online polls, influencers and cross-strait collaborations.
For its part, Taiwan has toughened its language about China this year, with President Lai Ching-te in March calling Beijing a “foreign hostile force” intent on “absorbing” the island. Taiwan’s own military exercises were broadened this year and included simulating a response to an amphibious invasion of the Penghu Islands.
Includes reporting by Reuters.