Taipei: Cross-border repression is a tactic that aims to create division within societies, weakening them for the goal of their ultimate absorption, a political scientist said Sunday at a forum on China’s “long-arm jurisdiction” tactics. “China has always wanted to take Taiwan by force,” National Taiwan University emeritus professor Ming Chu-cheng said, citing China’s unsuccessful attempts to capture Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen Islands in two battles in 1949 and from 1958 to 1979.
According to Focus Taiwan, Ming highlighted that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) faces difficulties unifying Taiwan by force. As a result, it shifts focus to Taiwan’s society, aiming to exploit internal confrontations to weaken it from within. He pointed out that competition between political parties, social injustices, and the wealth gap are all vulnerable to this exploitation. This strategy, Ming argued, would weaken Taiwan’s society, making it easier to conquer by force.
Ming explained that cross-border repression is complemented by cognitive warfare, including online propaganda that depicts Taiwan as a “radical provocateur” pushing for independence. This propaganda also draws comparisons between President Lai Ching-te and Adolf Hitler. Opinion leaders, organizations, and academics advocating for Taiwan independence are targeted by this repression, he noted.
Ming further claimed that China collaborates with politicians, influencers, entertainers, temple administrators, and gangsters in Taiwan to disseminate propaganda favorable to China. To combat such tactics, he suggested that the Taiwanese government should block or restrict Chinese capital from funding media outlets, influencers, temples, and gangsters.
He also emphasized that Taiwan should reclaim its narrative by promoting “positive narratives” in cross-strait developments. Ming mentioned that years ago, the Taiwanese government compiled chronicles on cross-strait relations. However, he observed that most chronicles available online now are written by China, with few authored by Taiwan.
As the international community increasingly opposes China’s attempts to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait through non-peaceful means, and as awareness of Chinese infiltration grows, Ming urged Taiwan to strengthen international cooperation to keep the CCP in check.