A new report reveals how China sought to amplify and leverage social conflict in Taiwan through disinformation ahead of its recent presidential and legislative elections.
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00:00 The dust has settled on Taiwan's landmark presidential elections,
00:04 but questions over how China, which claims Taiwan as its own,
00:07 influenced the big votes still remain.
00:09 In a new disinformation report, researchers here paint a picture of Beijing
00:14 trying to persuade voters towards pro-China candidates
00:17 and sow discord among the electorate.
00:20 I think the most concerning for us is that we also run the pre-election polling
00:28 to see how those narratives are being spread and how they are being accepted by our voters.
00:34 And we see that more and more the narrative is dividing our society
00:41 and it is a polarization that is increasing.
00:44 And we also observe that more and more people are receiving those political related information
00:51 from influencers, key opinion leaders, instead of the traditional media.
00:57 Earlier this week, Taiwan opened a new Cognitive Warfare Research Centre.
01:01 Its mission? To further study and combat disinformation.
01:04 Opposition parties are worried the new measures could curtail free speech,
01:08 but the government says it's necessary to protect the country's democracy.
01:12 We are a democratic and legal country, so freedom of speech will not be affected.
01:17 But there are still legal restrictions on speech,
01:21 and we cannot spread false information.
01:25 The message from researchers here is that Chinese disinformation tactics had an impact
01:30 and that they are only going to increase and evolve in the future.
01:33 They say Taiwan needs to better equip itself to fight this cognitive warfare battle.
01:38 Leon Lien and Rick Laut in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.
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