With Propaganda and false reports in the social media of China, Taiwan wants to make shortcrust and the presidential elections of 2020 affect. Can endure the democracy of the pressure? Klaus Bardenhagen from Taipei.
Wang Hao-yu, received an offer he could not possibly reject: A company wanted to buy his Facebook page, which is the capital city of Taipei is aimed at fellow citizens of his home town of Zhongli, close to. For the direct wire to more than 400,000 followers, she offered a multiple of average annual salary. But Wang, who sits for the Green party in the city of Taoyuan, smelled a rat. The offer was obviously from mainland China. “I’m not for sale,” says Wang. “We should not surrender our freedom of speech which, the psychological warfare against Taiwan.”
In January 2020, the presidential and parliamentary elections in Taiwan. And the frequency of such immoral offers to take obviously from the mainland. A Facebook-display campaigned to distribute, against payment, content and comments in social networks – with the goal of China and China to defend friendly parties and different opinions. However, not all Attempts to influence are so obvious.
Taiwan’s President, Tsai Ing-wen (DPP)
China wants Taiwan to undermine
“The Internet is as much a weapon of the Chinese government, as their fighter jets and war ships,” he responded Taiwanese Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang. His ruling party, the DPP ruled Taiwan for 2016 and is considered to be China’s critical. In summary, here are the allegations of the secret services and the authorities in Beijing to work on a lot of channels to subvert the trust of the Taiwanese people in their state institutions and to make mood for China-friendly politician. In Taiwan’s polarized society, where many media are clearly biased and as well as user reports are often unaudited, does not seem to be difficult.
“Taiwan’s open society, sees China as a sign of weakness,” said Jonathan Sullivan from the Institute of Asian research at the University of Nottingham in the DW. “The risk of interference is real. And Taiwan is not prepared nearly enough.”
President under pressure
“China wants to use our democracy against us,” warned recently, the President of Tsai Ing-wen, the Chance is not on a second term, according to opinion polls, as well. Because they referred to Taiwan and the people’s Republic as parts of the same country, had Beijing canceled after your assumption of office in 2016, the channels of dialogue and moved to put Tsais government diplomatic and military pressure. The dismissal of Democratic progressive party (DPP) and a change of power back to the more China-friendly Kuomintang party (KMT) would also be in terms of China’s head of state, Xi Jinping, was confirmed in early January that he wanted to have “control over Taiwan,” in any case.
To hacker attacks Taiwan is accustomed to. Disinformation campaigns to influence the political climate, however, up to national election last November, wide were regional and rarely in the spotlight. In the process, investigators had launched in the run-up targeted the wrong messages and money flows from abroad to dozens of candidates reported and gangster syndicates, often operate Agitation for Beijing.
The Empire and China-friendly? Entrepreneur Tsai Eng-meng to include a newspaper and a TV station in Taiwan
Media mood
After the regional elections Tsais DPP gave a surprisingly clear defeat, not able currently, to change the political mood. Taiwan economic data are from the employment rate to the wage increase not bad, but many of them perceive the situation differently. This is partly due to policy and communication failures of Tsai, but also the mass media play an important role.
Many large news stations and Newspapers on Taiwan belong to the extremely rich entrepreneurs who have earned their wealth with factories in China and often referred to Beijing’s influence on public opinion formation. “It is quite clear that their Position corresponds to the Chinese government, and that they are supported by China,” said politics Professor Chen Shih-min from the National Taiwan University of the DW. “And they also try to influence elections.” As a Prime example of the is difficult for a merchant Tsai rich Eng-meng, whose food company Want Want Group, with headquarters in Shanghai and a year in China, the equivalent of 25 billion euros to implement. To him, the newspaper “China Times” and the transmitter CTI, for example.
Han Kuo-yu, KMT candidate for 2020
Phenomenon Han Kuo-yu
How blatantly CTI, and some other channels take sides, showing her drums for Han Kuo-yu as the presidential candidate of the KMT. Since Han won with a populist campaign in November, surprising the mayor of the metropolis of Kaohsiung, build media him with non-stop uncritical coverage to the national carrier of hope. That news channels such as CTI report to loop over every appearance of Han in duration, while President Tsai is scarcely known, many in Taiwan fun. But it clearly shows effect.
According to recent surveys, Han, who a year ago was hardly known, best Chance at the presidency. Since the program is running, especially on the more economic ties with China, he is regarded as a preferred candidate of Beijing. At the end of March, Han met – without consultation with Taiwan’s Central government, the chief of the office for Taiwan Affairs of the Chinese state Council on the mainland. His critics see a job interview to the office of the President in Taipei, or at least a job interview.
Taiwan’s media regulator censured the excessive Han-reporting at CTI and imposed due to false reports, some payments made via the equivalent of 30,000 euros. For the owner Tsai Eng-meng, there is no noticeable penalty. He is directly based on instructions from Beijing, is always claimed but never occupied.
Little consistent pursuit, to mild sanctions, and no solid evidence – Taiwan’s ailing defence in General. “Taiwan urgently needs comprehensive legislation, to the various forms of Chinese influence to withstand,” said China expert Sullivan. “This should have been years ago. A few months before the elections won’t change much.”
Reforms in the last Minute
In fact, the DPP-majority is attempting to bring a number of improvements and new laws through Parliament. Some of it is in the Details. The deputies decided on Tuesday (7.5.), to punish the Spreading of false reports harder.
Three-fourths majority in Parliament (see picture) plus a Referendum for a peace agreement with China?
A larger throw was on the same day the new version of the high-paragraphs of treason in the criminal code. Although China is the only concrete threat to Taiwan, not for his spies and agents, so far, of this offence, because according to the current Constitution in Taiwan, the mainland China is not a foreign country. As a former Vice Admiral who had spied for China, 2014 was convicted only because of a threat to the security of the state with a mild prison sentence of 14 months. After the change in the law, such cases can now be accused of treason, can be punished with the death penalty.
Special significance could be matched to a bill of erlangen, about the still in Parliament. The focus of the design of the future political agreement with the mainland. The DPP fears that a KMT President in close proximity to Beijing and under the guise of a “peace agreement”, political concessions could make, tying the Taiwan irreversibly to the people’s Republic. The law is intended to create high hurdles. So, the Parliament would have to agree to before and after political negotiations with a Three-fourths majority. Also, a Referendum must be held. As a “Firewall” to enforce the law to ensure that no single party could make use of Taiwan’s sovereignty as something to be negotiated, said the China Minister Chen Ming-tong.