The Taiwanese government is assisting Pacific countries in their fight against disinformation, drawing on its experience countering election interference from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Douglas Yu-Tien Hsu, a representative from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Australia, discussed Taiwan’s efforts to support democratic institutions and enhance democracy in the Pacific region. Hsu emphasized the importance of raising awareness about disinformation campaigns during election periods. He highlighted that Taiwan’s experience could help Pacific countries identify false information or intentional disinformation and determine whether it originated from domestic opposition parties or foreign nations.
To further combat disinformation, the Taiwanese government plans to establish a workshop in Australia for journalists from Pacific island countries. The workshop will feature experts from Taiwan, Australia, and the United States who will train journalists to identify misinformation and disinformation. The goal is to increase media literacy among these countries.
Taiwan has long faced significant disinformation campaigns orchestrated by the CCP as part of its efforts to undermine Taiwan’s democracy. During recent elections in Taiwan, cyberattacks and various measures including AI tools were employed by the communist regime to influence public opinion. According to cybersecurity firm Fortinet, Taiwan experienced approximately 15,000 cyber threats per second during the first half of 2023—making it one of Asia-Pacific’s most targeted locations.
Wu Tsunghan from Taiwan’s Institute of National Defense and Security Research cited specific incidents where social media posts accused the Taiwanese government of monitoring its citizens or intending to import Japanese nuclear waste. Malicious actors used popular social media platforms like facebook to share false information sourced from Chinese platforms such as Weibo or Douyin.
Disinformation campaigns tend to intensify around national elections and high-profile visits by Taiwanese leaders to other countries. Wu noted that uncovering these campaigns can be challenging as they have already made an impact on public perception before being exposed.
In related news, just one day prior, the Australian Senate passed a motion rejecting CCP’s “One China” principle—a bipartisan-backed move challenging China’s interpretation of United Nations Resolution 2758 regarding sovereignty over Taiwan. Labor Senator Deborah O’Neill led this motion emphasizing that Resolution 2758 does not grant sovereignty over Taiwan to China—a claim she deemed false and aimed at undermining truth and democracy.
Taiwanese representatives in Australia welcomed this decision while condemning China’s distortion of Resolution 2758. They applauded fellow free democracies for pushing back against such blatant disinformation tactics employed by China.