Chinese Pressure on Taiwan
Beijing intensifies psychological, military warfare
REPORTER:
China is stepping up its intimidation of Taiwan’s public figures. On Tuesday, a Chinese city police authority, the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau, accused ruling Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Puma Shen of “engaging in activities to split the country,” and announced that it had opened a criminal case against him. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which handles cross-strait matters, condemned the move.
REPORTER:
Under the Republic of China Constitution our people are protected from this transnational persecution by the Chinese Communist Party. We will do everything we can to ensure the safety of our citizens.
REPORTER:
Shen also responded to the announcement, saying it weaponized the law. By using this kind of intimidation and through legal warfare this is China’s open strategy against Taiwan right now. So this isn’t really aimed at me alone. Rather, it’s meant to make an example of someone to warn and intimidate others.
REPORTER:
Experts say the case against Shen may just be the beginning. China won’t stop there. I think what they want now is to create a deterrent effect. They won’t limit it to just a few specific people. They assume anyone who doesn’t agree with their push for unification is a Taiwanese independence supporter and they can become a potential target for investigation or prosecution.
REPORTER:
This isn’t the only form of intimidation China has used recently against Taiwan. China’s commercial satellite Jilin-one recently released several high-resolution images of Taiwan taken from space. Along with them was a statement calling for “joint efforts toward national reunification.” Defense experts say it’s an example of the Chinese government weaponizing companies’ attempts to show off its capabilities. Basically, I think this commercial satellite company exists primarily to demonstrate to its clients that it has this capability. And of course, the relevant authorities are simply using it as a tool for cognitive warfare.
REPORTER:
This comes as China ramps up military activity around Taiwan. On Monday, China’s Eastern Theater Command released a video, saying that multiple strategic bombers carried out mock combat drills in the airspace and seas surrounding Taiwan. Taiwan, meanwhile, is bolstering its own defenses — the navy has just completed a series of drills, while the army and air force are carrying out their own exercises involving realistic combat scenarios. The aim is to get troops more on a war footing and prepared for any eventuality.
Dolphine Chen and Alan Lu for TaiwanPlus.
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