Taiwan Envoy Issues Warning About Increased Disinformation and Coercion from Beijing

The diplomatic representative of Taiwan to Australia has revealed that Beijing will persist in using coercion tactics to influence governments, particularly the newly-elected Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (William Lai), to adopt a more favorable policy towards the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which considers the democratic island as part of its territory. His remarks were supported by Mark Harrison, who is a professor of Chinese studies at the University of Tasmania, who stated that public discussions about the Taiwan issue in Australia are already considered highly sensitive in some circles, due to the risk of offending the CCP leadership.

During an event hosted by the Griffith Asia Institute and the Australian Institute of International Affairs, Douglas Hsu, the head of Canberra’s Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), pointed out the actions of the CCP following the national elections in Taiwan, where the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) retained the presidency. Just two days after the presidential result, the small Pacific nation of Nauru announced it would officially switch ties from Taiwan to Beijing. Further, the CCP held another round of military exercises in the region. Mr. Hsu told attendees in Brisbane on Jan. 19 that they expect the military coercion to continue, as well as disinformation operations to make Taiwanese society more divided.

He stated that Beijing’s disinformation campaign during election campaigning had caused a “mindset change among voters” that may have partly contributed to the election result. The DPP retained the presidency but lost control of the Legislative Yuan to the main opposition Kuomintang, marking the first election where no party holds an absolute majority. The election result was also influenced by similar trends impacting democracies worldwide, including rising costs of goods, high prices, unaffordable housing, and inadequate wages, which has led to growing disillusionment with established parties. Mr. Hsu said that Beijing would likely try to capitalize on the situation, particularly in the lead-up to the new president’s inauguration, to pressure the newly elected government to compromise or yield.

In the meantime, Beijing’s representative in Australia has warned the country against siding with Taiwan after the election result. In an opinion piece published by The Australian newspaper, Ambassador Xiao Qian warned that any move violating the one-China principle would undermine China-Australia relations. However, Taiwan has been a self-governing entity since 1949 following the defeat of the Kuomintang during the Chinese Civil War. Since the 1990s, Taiwan has held full democratic elections for its Legislative Yuan and presidency.

The latest threat from Beijing comes amid an ongoing “thaw” between the communist leadership and the Australian government, with CCP officials re-engaging in high-level diplomatic talks with ministers and lifting punitive restrictions on trade. Professor Harrison said that the CCP’s attitude towards Taiwan, which now also extends to other countries, means Australia will face pressure to understand the Taiwan issue correctly, and that Beijing is likely becoming fearful of closer Australia-Taiwan ties. He revealed that the thinness of Australia’s Taiwan policy and the risk-averse nature of its policy systems make them vulnerable to that kind of discourse power.

Public discussion on Taiwan’s independence, the oppression of the Uyghurs, and the spiritual practice of Falun Gong has been frowned upon by certain sections of Australian society, including the higher education sector, which relies heavily on China for international students.