Taipei [Taiwan], September 16 (ANI): China is seeking to weaken Taiwan by encouraging extremist figures to enter its democratic political system and exploit existing political divisions, National Security Council (NSC) adviser Alex Huang said, according to a report by the Taipei Times.
Huang warned that the election of even one or two radical political figures could deepen polarisation and make it more difficult for Taiwanese society to reach consensus. “The goal is to weaken Taiwan,” Huang said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language.
Liberty Times, the Taipei Times’ sister publication, adding that China would not necessarily need to launch an attack if it could keep Taiwanese society divided through political disputes.
As cited by the Taipei Times report, Huang said Chinese election interference in other countries was not a new phenomenon. He pointed to previous attempts to influence the latest US presidential election, efforts aimed at turning Chinese-Canadian communities against certain politicians in Canada, and alleged attempts to provide funding to pro-China candidates in Australia.
When asked about pro-China candidates in Taiwan, Huang said that individuals should be permitted to contest elections in a democratic system as long as they meet the legal requirements. He said Taiwanese candidates are required to be citizens of Taiwan and must give up permanent residency or citizenship in other countries. Huang added that the Central Election Commission and other relevant authorities carry out strict checks regarding Chinese citizenship.
Huang said it was certain that China would seek to use such individuals to gain entry into Taiwan’s political system, describing the approach as an effort by Beijing to undermine democracy through democratic processes.
According to the report, Huang said that Beijing would only need one or two radical political figures to intensify political polarization and make consensus-building more difficult. Once elected, he said, such politicians could pose risks by obstructing important legislation.
Huang also pointed to stalled revisions to Taiwan’s national security laws. He said some lawmakers were attempting to influence public opinion and discredit the proposed measures, while other organisations were being used to prevent the legislation from moving forward.
Political infighting could also affect Taiwan’s ability to acquire essential uncrewed aerial vehicles, Huang said. He further warned that internal political conflicts could potentially result in sensitive information being leaked in an effort to undermine political opponents.
Huang described Taiwan as a “real-life encyclopedia” of Chinese election interference and said Beijing was continuously developing new methods, including through artificial intelligence (AI).
As cited in the Taipei Times report, these methods include the creation of tens of thousands of “live accounts” capable of interacting with users in real time. Huang also referred to AI-generated videos targeting President William Lai, former president Tsai Ing-wen and Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen.
The report further said that a political party detected signs of interference during its chairperson election last year. Huang said such operations take advantage of gaps in Taiwan’s laws and rely on content that can be difficult to verify, creating confusion among the public. (ANI)
China allegedly seeks to deepen Taiwan’s political divisions through election interference
