China intensifies efforts to influence Taiwan's presidential election, urges discretion, effectiveness

Wang Huning, a high-ranking leader in China's Communist Party overseeing Taiwan affairs, allegedly convened a meeting last week to coordinate strategies for influencing the election discreetly.

A senior Taiwanese security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed details about the meeting, indicating a heightened effort to impact Taiwan's political landscape.

Wang, who holds a pivotal role in shaping China's Taiwan policy, emphasized the need for the Chinese Communist Party to enhance its effectiveness in shaping public opinion in Taiwan while reducing the risk of external detection of interference.

The meeting aimed to align efforts across various departments to influence the self-governing island's electoral process.

Taiwanese officials have long accused Beijing of meddling in their elections, particularly favoring candidates advocating closer ties with China.

As Taiwan's presidential candidates intensify their campaigns, tensions rise across the Taiwan Strait, with China exerting military, political, and economic pressure on the democratic island.

The Taiwanese security official noted that Wang stressed the importance of strategizing to evade detection, especially after Chinese leader Xi Jinping's recent visit to the United States, during which President Joe Biden warned against interference in Taiwan's elections.

The meeting attendees were reportedly instructed to coordinate with the Communist Party's Central Propaganda Department and the People's Liberation Army's Base 311—a psychological warfare unit based in Fuzhou.

Base 311, established in 2005, plays a crucial role in implementing Beijing's "Three Warfares" strategy against Taiwan, encompassing public opinion warfare, psychological warfare, and legal warfare.

Strategies discussed at the meeting reportedly include amplifying narratives framing the election as a "choice between war and peace" and portraying the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as provocateurs.

The meeting attendees were also directed to collaborate with other entities, such as the Chinese government's Taiwan Affairs Office and the Communist Party's United Front Work Department, to engage with Taiwanese businesspeople and lower-ranking politicians.

Disinformation campaigns targeting DPP candidates, particularly Vice President Lai Ching-te and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim, have surged on social media platforms controlled by alleged Chinese state actors.

Amid China's longstanding goal of reunification with Taiwan, the election interference allegations highlight the complex dynamics between the two sides, with the DPP prioritizing ties with the United States—a move that further fuels Beijing's concerns.

The election interference claims add to existing tensions across the Taiwan Strait, where China has repeatedly vowed to reclaim Taiwan, and the island's residents increasingly identify themselves as distinctly Taiwanese rather than Chinese.