China is increasing military activities near Taiwan and honing its ability to stage a surprise attack, while also seeking to undermine trust in the government through “hybrid” online warfare tactics, the island’s defence ministry said on Thursday.
Democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has faced growing military pressure from Beijing over the past five years, including at least seven rounds of major war games around the island since 2022.
“The Chinese communists have adopted routine grey zone harassment tactics, combined with joint combat readiness patrols, targeted military exercises, and cognitive warfare, posing a comprehensive threat to us,” the ministry said in its biennial defence report.
Grey zone refers to non-combat operations designed to pressure Taiwan, such as coast guard patrols, damage to undersea cables, and the flying of balloons.
China’s coast guard is expanding its activities around Taiwan and may in future take “aggressive containment measures” in coordination with the military while rehearsing attack scenarios, the report said.
Beijing is also using “hybrid warfare” to erode public trust in Taiwan’s government and reduce support for defence spending, while employing artificial intelligence tools to weaken Taiwan’s cybersecurity and identify vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, the ministry added.
“Through both conventional and unconventional military actions, it aims to test its capabilities for attacking Taiwan and confronting foreign forces,” the report said.
China’s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
China could also attempt to suddenly shift military drills into active combat mode to catch Taiwan and its international supporters off guard, posing a serious threat to regional peace and security, the ministry warned.
In recent years, China has extensively used civilian roll-on/roll-off merchant vessels for military transport operations and continues to develop specialised equipment for amphibious landings, it added.
The report also said China is using a “professional cyber army” to manipulate social media accounts and spread misinformation to sow division in Taiwanese society and erode confidence in the government.
Chinese state media outlets and collaborators have worked to weaken morale and the will to fight, while China has also used deepfake technology and AI-generated content to produce “polarising political rhetoric,” the ministry said.
China considers Taiwan President Lai Ching-te a “separatist.” Lai rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, insisting that only the island’s people can decide their future.
Taiwan’s government has launched a military modernisation programme and pledged to spend five per cent of GDP on defence by 2030.
The report was released a day before Lai’s national day speech. China last year held war games after the same event in what it said was a warning against “separatist acts.”
China’s last formal war games around Taiwan took place in April, though its warplanes and warships operate almost daily in the skies and waters near the island.
(Reporting by Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Kate Mayberry)