Taiwan Refutes Disinformation Campaign Claiming Imminent Gas Shortage

Taiwanese officials have moved to counter a surge of online disinformation claiming the island faces an imminent natural gas crisis, with false claims that the self-governed territory will exhaust its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies within days due to Middle East conflict disruptions.

The fabricated narrative, which has gained significant traction on Chinese-language social media platforms, asserts that Taiwan will face widespread electricity blackouts because Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz are preventing LNG tankers from reaching the island.

“They claimed that we would run out of gas — that is simply impossible,” said Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin in a video statement posted March 9. “LNG supplies from Qatar account for roughly one-third of our total supply. Therefore, roughly 60 to 70 percent is basically not a problem.”

Fact-checkers from AFP have identified approximately two dozen posts from China-based accounts on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) promoting the false narrative, with many sharing identical video scripts. Some posts criticized Taiwan’s decision to decommission a nuclear reactor last year, while others promoted Beijing’s “peaceful reunification” proposal as a solution to Taiwan’s supposed energy vulnerabilities.

Taiwanese security officials last week reported monitoring fuel-related disinformation spread not only by Chinese media but also by what they termed Taiwanese “collaborators.” The campaign has expanded to YouTube and TikTok, where officials identified AI-generated content pushing “a consistent narrative” that Taiwan faces a “very dire situation” if energy supplies are disrupted.

“It works by creating scenarios to make people in Taiwan feel concerned about the government, or keep imagining that if a blockade were to happen one day, we would lose confidence in energy,” security officials explained.

The false claims about Taiwan’s energy security come amid similar disinformation targeting other countries. Iran’s Tasnim news agency recently published an altered graphic falsely suggesting Australia had just 18 days of petrol supplies remaining, when the actual figure was approximately double that amount.

Such narratives are particularly potent in Taiwan, where China’s increasing military presence and the possibility of a blockade have heightened concerns about energy security. LNG is crucial to Taiwan’s energy infrastructure, accounting for nearly half (47.8%) of the island’s power generation in 2021, according to the Energy Administration.

Professor Yeh Tsung-kuang from National Tsing Hua University clarified that while Taiwan’s maximum LNG inventory capacity is indeed around 11 days, this does not signify an impending energy crisis. “One-third of our LNG comes from Qatar. We also have other sources such as Russia, Australia and the United States,” he explained. “These netizens are interpreting the situation as if LNG from the Middle East cannot get through, Taiwan will be left without a natural gas supply. They are attempting to create this false impression.”

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs has developed contingency plans to address any potential disruptions. While 22 LNG vessels would typically pass through the Strait of Hormuz in March and April, officials state that any shortfall could be covered through “emergency procurement or expedited delivery.” The ministry has outlined three backup strategies: utilizing non-Middle Eastern gas sources, coordinating with similar buyers such as Japan and South Korea, and purchasing “existing fuel.”

Last week, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office suggested that “peaceful reunification could provide better protection” for Taiwan’s energy security with a “strong motherland” as its backing. Taiwan’s Deputy Economy Minister Ho Chin-tsang dismissed this proposition as “impossible” and part of “cognitive warfare.”

Joseph Webster, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, described the disinformation as potentially part of “a political drive” to undermine Taiwan’s confidence in its energy independence. “So this disinformation is either explicitly or implicitly a part of that larger campaign,” Webster noted.

Experts acknowledge that while Taiwan’s LNG storage capacity is relatively lower than other Asian countries, making the false narratives somewhat more believable, the island is not facing an immediate crisis. However, they caution that Taiwan could encounter stronger competition and higher prices if Middle East tensions persist and affect global LNG supplies.

“This is a significant vulnerability in terms of Taiwan’s energy weakness,” said Liang Chi-yuan, a professor and research fellow at National Central University’s Center for Taiwan Economic Development.