Taipei: Taiwan's National Security Bureau (NSB) reported that between December 29 and January 2, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) conducted military drills against Taiwan while simultaneously executing information operations and cyberattacks. These activities involved spreading over 19,000 "controversial" messages and launching millions of hacking attempts.
According to Focus Taiwan, the NSB submitted a report to the Legislative Yuan indicating that the online operations were carried out using 799 abnormal accounts. These operations aimed to amplify doubts about the United States, Taiwan's military, and President Lai Ching-te, raising concerns about Taiwan's defensive capabilities.
The report detailed a significant increase in cyber intrusions targeting government networks during the drills. On the first day alone, there were approximately 2.08 million attacks, escalating to about 2.09 million on the second day. This data was part of a briefing prepared for the Legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which had invited the NSB, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Coast Guard Administration to update lawmakers.
The NSB's report suggested that the CCP initiated the drills to counter international support for Taiwan from democratic allies, divert attention from internal issues, and project military strength unaffected by anti-corruption measures in China. The report highlighted China's economic challenges, including declining investment, reduced foreign investment, high youth unemployment, and labor protests over unpaid wages.
The CCP's strategy, according to the NSB, involved using targeted drills against Taiwan to channel public discontent into nationalist fervor, portraying it as resistance to external interference. The report also noted that Chinese leader Xi Jinping expanded an anti-corruption crackdown targeting the Fujian clique within the military, leading to investigations and punishments of senior officers, which affected major annual exercises.
The NSB pointed out that the CCP sought to demonstrate military prowess by emphasizing nuclear deterrence during the September 3 military parade and showcasing new vessels such as the Fujian aircraft carrier and Sichuan amphibious assault vessel. Additionally, carrier groups like the Liaoning aircraft carrier and the landing helicopter dock Hainan were deployed on extended missions.
Eastern Theater Command commander Yang Zhibin was reported to have overseen the targeted drills against Taiwan, emphasizing that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) remained operationally unaffected by the anti-corruption campaign. The drills incorporated compound threats, combining military and gray-zone coercion, cognitive warfare, and cyberattacks, with "controversial" content circulating on platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Threads, and X.
The NSB further reported that cybersecurity agencies across the Indo-Pacific, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the European Union have consistently identified the CCP as a significant source of global cyber threats. PLA cyberwarfare groups APT24 and BlackTech were particularly active during these drills.