Taiwan Alleges China Employs Corporations to Spread Disinformation

Taiwan’s intelligence agency has uncovered an extensive Chinese disinformation campaign targeting the island democracy, revealing sophisticated operations that involve fake news sites, automated social media accounts, and coordinated information manipulation.

The National Security Bureau (NSB) published its findings in an analysis titled “Cognitive Warfare Tactics Against Taiwan in 2025,” according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. The report details how Beijing has mobilized its propaganda apparatus in what appears to be a comprehensive strategy to influence Taiwanese public opinion.

Intelligence officials identified more than 45,000 fake social media accounts and documented over 2.3 million pieces of disinformation circulating online throughout 2025. The scale of the operation highlights China’s growing investment in information warfare capabilities as tensions across the Taiwan Strait continue to simmer.

According to the NSB, the disinformation campaign operates under the direction of China’s Central Publicity Department and Ministry of Public Security. These government agencies have enlisted Chinese IT firms to establish sophisticated databases and develop automated programs to manage networks of inauthentic accounts.

The report specifically names several Chinese marketing companies – including Haixunshe, Haimai, and Huya – as being instrumental in creating fake news websites designed to spread narratives aligned with Beijing’s official positions. Intelligence officials noted these sites employ a calculated strategy: initially attracting followers with engaging non-political content before gradually transitioning to politically charged messaging aimed at shifting Taiwanese public opinion.

“These operations follow a clear pattern,” said a security analyst familiar with cross-strait relations who requested anonymity. “They’re designed to fly under the radar initially, building credibility and a following before beginning the actual influence campaign. It’s a sophisticated approach that makes detection more challenging.”

The NSB assessment outlines Beijing’s strategic objectives behind these information operations: creating societal divisions within Taiwan, undermining Taiwanese resolve to resist Chinese pressure, influencing international allies’ willingness to support Taiwan in potential conflicts, and ultimately building pro-China sentiment among the Taiwanese population.

Taiwan’s intelligence community isn’t standing idle. The NSB reported it is coordinating with relevant government agencies while enhancing cooperation with fact-checking organizations and social media platforms to identify and remove false information.

This report comes just days after another NSB disclosure to Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan detailing additional pressure tactics from Beijing. That report documented Chinese military drills near Taiwan, coordinated cyberattacks, and the dissemination of over 19,000 “controversial” messages designed to undermine confidence in Taiwan’s leadership and defense capabilities.

The findings reflect escalating cross-strait tensions following the January 2024 election of President William Lai, whom Beijing considers a “separatist.” China claims Taiwan as its territory despite the island functioning as a self-governing democracy with its own military, currency and democratically elected government since 1949.

Digital disinformation campaigns represent just one facet of China’s multi-dimensional pressure campaign against Taiwan. Beijing regularly conducts military exercises around the island, restricts tourism, blocks Taiwan from international organizations, and uses economic leverage to isolate Taipei diplomatically.

Security experts warn that cognitive warfare presents particular challenges as it operates below the threshold of conventional conflict while potentially achieving strategic objectives by influencing public perception and decision-making.

“What makes these campaigns especially concerning is their ability to exploit existing societal divisions while maintaining plausible deniability,” said a cybersecurity researcher who studies information operations in East Asia. “By the time disinformation is identified and debunked, it may have already achieved its intended effect.”