《TAIPEI TIMES》 CCP targets voters with TikTok: source

SOWING DOUBT: China is attempting to convince young Taiwanese that conscription means sacrificing their futures, while voting for the DPP would lead to war, the source said

By Chen Yu-fu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

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Beijing is targeting young Taiwanese voters through TikTok, an official said yesterday, adding that videos shared on the platform by China aim to sow distrust in Taiwan’s government and military.

China-made videos targeting young Taiwanese have four aims: to incite a sense imminent war if the Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） is re-elected, to vilify Taiwan’s conscription policy, to foster pro-China sentiment and to manipulate attitudes toward key policy issues, the Taiwanese official said.

China’s state-backed Global Times and other Chinese news outlets have recently published a series of reports denigrating the DPP in a bid to generate negative opinions toward the party in Taiwan.

The reports include edited video from Taiwanese media to present skewed takes on certain issues.

“The Chinese Communist Party [CCP] has defined this election as a choice between ‘war and peace’ and continues to spread the threat of war through China’s state media,” the source said, adding that Beijing aims to push swing voters toward opposition candidates who would foster closer cross-strait ties.

“Pro-China candidates have even echoed these threats, claiming that a vote for the DPP is a vote to send young people to the battlefield. They are cooperating with the CCP to intimidate Taiwanese,” the source said.

The CCP is also attempting to convince young Taiwanese that conscription means they are sacrificing their studies, careers and futures, the source said.

“China basically intends to use cognitive warfare to foster negative views on the policies of the ruling party among young Taiwanese, all with an eye toward affecting the outcome of the election,” they said.

Government employees have been prohibited from using Chinese social media platforms, including TikTok, since 2019.

The Executive Yuan in December last year said there is no legal basis for restricting public use of TikTok, adding at the time that it would consult regulations in other countries and stakeholders in Taiwan to determine if there is a need to amend laws.

No concrete progress has been made on that issue, DPP Legislator Lai Jui-lung （賴瑞隆） said yesterday, urging the government to reference laws restricting TikTok in the US and Australia.

Legislating a blanket ban on TikTok is difficult, as most users are young people who would oppose such a move, DPP Legislator Liu Shih-fang （劉世芳） said.

Cabinet spokesman Lin Tze-luen （林子倫） was unavailable for comment at press time.

Additional reporting by Hsieh Chun-lin

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES