TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said that a TikTok video posted in July titled "Strategists admit West is goading China into war" is part of a disinformation campaign that has been running for two years.
On July 13, TikTok user hechen1381 uploaded a video with a Mandarin version of an English language propaganda piece, originally published on Dec. 1, 2021 on the John Menadue website. The article claimed to cite military strategists as saying the U.S. is "diligently working with Australia and the U.K. to goad China into what they hope will be a limited war over Taiwan."
In a press release on Monday (July 24), MOFA said the article, circulated by Chinese netizens since 2021, is "repeatedly imposing China's 'one China principle' on the international community." The ministry said the video falsely claims the U.S. wants to provoke China into launching a war in the Taiwan Strait "in an attempt to construct a pretext for its military threats against Taiwan."
MOFA said it "strongly condemns China's behavior of pointing at a dear and calling it a horse (distorting facts and spreading falsehoods) through social media platforms." MOFA reiterated that the core issue of tension in the Taiwan Strait has never been with Taiwan, the U.S., or the "democratic camp," but rather "the Chinese authoritarian government’s ambitions for external expansion and one-sided attempts and actions to change the status quo."
The ministry referred to China as "the biggest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and even the Indo-Pacific region." It deplored Chinese military aircraft and ships crossing the center line of the Taiwan Strait, military exercises around Taiwan, and military provocation in response to international exchanges, visits, and participation in international conferences by Taiwanese officials.
The ministry said it is because of China’s provocations that not only the U.S. but also major countries in the democratic camp such as the U.K., Japan, Australia, Canada, and the European Union have recently taken active actions. These countries have repeatedly emphasized the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait and opposition to unilateral changes in the status quo, said MOFA.
MOFA said the video asks, "How should Taiwan protect itself? How to solve the strait issue peacefully? How to protect our lives and properties?" The ministry responded, "The answer is self-evident. As long as China stops threatening and provoking Taiwan and renounces the use of force on Taiwan Strait issues, the problem will be solved immediately."
As a member of the international community, the ministry pledged that Taiwan will continue to coordinate closely with all like-minded countries to jointly safeguard the rules-based international order and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific. MOFA said there is no need for China to conduct cognitive warfare with "absurd arguments" such as "thief crying, 'stop thief!'," meaning a wrongdoer accusing others of wrongdoing to evade responsibility.
The ministry also reminded the public to stay alert to articles or videos with false information and carefully verify news sources to avoid being misled.
The video has gained 17,600 views, 964 likes, 280 comments, and 103 bookmarks on TikTok. The majority of comments agreed with the video's claims and were highly critical of the DPP.
However, one comment questioned whether China would keep its word about peaceful annexation if Taiwan renounced its ties to the U.S. and disarmed. The commenter asked, "How many people have been deceived by the Chinese Communist Party throughout its history?"
