On July 26, Taiwan held a large-scale recall vote, with 24 legislators and one county mayor all successfully avoiding recall. This comes at a time when international concerns about the Chinese Communist Party’s potential use of force against Taiwan are increasing. The failed recall not only affects political dynamics within Taiwan but also raises questions about whether Beijing will use this opportunity to strengthen its influence and infiltration operations against Taiwan.
Japanese political scholar Ogasawara Kiyoyuki, who has accurately predicted Taiwan’s election results multiple times, stated in an interview with Sankei Shimbun on the 26th that the “anti-China, pro-Taiwan” demands advocated by Taiwanese civic groups and the Democratic Progressive Party did not work as intended. He suggested that China may take this opportunity to deepen its political and media infiltration into Taiwan.
Following the conclusion of the recall vote, the Chinese Communist Party launched a verbal offensive. On the morning of the 27th, the Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua publicly commented, stating that “the voting results show that the political manipulation of the Democratic Progressive Party completely goes against the will of the people in Taiwan.” He criticized the DPP for “acting out of ‘Taiwan independence’ instinct and ‘single-party dominance’ ambition, using all means to suppress dissent, create ‘green terror’, intensify social division, fully exposing the hypocritical nature of ‘false democracy, true dictatorship’.”
Taiwan’s Information Operations Research Group (IORG) previously reported that in the first half of 2025 alone, official Chinese media and affiliated social media accounts published about 425 pieces of content describing the recall action as “dictatorial,” “green terror,” or “repression of dissent,” echoing the narrative of the Taiwan Affairs Office. This rhythm of public opinion manipulation is part of China’s external propaganda efforts against Taiwan.
According to a report on China’s propaganda strategy against Taiwan, its core propaganda logic can be condensed into three main axes: “anti-Lai, doubt the US, pro-China”. The “anti-Lai” axis involves comprehensive attacks on Taiwan’s leader, President Lai Ching-te; “doubt the US” aims to weaken Taiwan’s trust in the United States; and “pro-China” seeks to create an illusion of reliance on China’s economic, technological, and cultural advantages.
This narrative manipulation even infiltrates into unrelated political issues, such as portraying BYD electric cars as a symbol of China’s economic strength and popular animated films like “NeZha” and video games like “Black Myth: Wukong” as representations of China’s cultural soft power in the campaign to “tell good Chinese stories.”
Former Director of the Asian Fact-Checking Lab at Radio Free Asia (RFA) Li Zhide remarked that “their discourse often does not focus on the specifics but eventually leads to those three specific axes.”
In a forum hosted by the Institute of Sociology at the Academia Sinica on July 22nd, Li Zhide mentioned that the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda strategy towards Taiwan is highly concentrated on the “Fujian network,” comparing its role to that of Guangdong’s influence on Hong Kong, taking the primary responsibility for infiltration into Taiwan.
Li Zhide, who planned and wrote the report “Chinese Communist Propaganda in Taiwan” published by AFCL in May this year, emphasized that Fujian’s proximity to Taiwan and the high degree of linguistic and bloodline similarities make it the frontline for China’s propaganda and united front operations against Taiwan.
The report analyzed that the Chinese Communist Party adopts a dual-track strategy for media infiltration into Taiwan. On one hand, through acquisitions or collaborations, they turn traditional Taiwanese media outlets into pro-China platforms.
For example, “People’s Daily,” founded in 1950 as a grassroots anti-Kuomintang media, began receiving sponsorship from China after being taken over by Lin Wen-hsiung in 2007, heavily promoting China’s development issues in the Taiwan Strait Economic Zone. It eventually transformed into “Taiwan Lead News” and became the only Taiwanese member media of the China Newspaper Association in 2017.
On the other hand, small media outlets have emerged rapidly, such as “Power Media.” These websites have low entry barriers and manipulate search engine algorithms to create “hotspots” on the web.
The report stated: “They are mostly unknown websites with similar content and consistent tone, deceiving the algorithms to naturally surface pro-China messages on the first page of Google.”
The Chinese Communist Party also extensively operates political internet celebrities and local radio stations to influence grassroots public opinion. The report outlined three strategies:
First is the “direct operation mode,” where Fujian media directly invest in YouTube channels and produce programs. Second is the “franchise model,” attracting local opinion leaders to participate. Third is “red shift,” with some previously independent military commentators gradually shifting towards a pro-China stance after participating in events like the China Zhuhai Airshow.
A typical case involved Zhang Mengchong, formerly a spokesperson for the “Promote Uni Party,” who was accused of recording videos related to Taiwan’s four major referendums from 2020 to 2023 based on scripts provided by the “Fujian Radio and Television Group.” He not only received payment but also accepted funds from the Taiwan Affairs Office to broadcast programs on four FM radio stations in southern Taiwan, promoting rhetoric such as “if the PLA comes, there’s no need to resist”, and has been charged under the “Anti-Infiltration Law.”
In another case, prior to the 2024 Taiwan presidential election, Taiwan Power Media journalist Lin Xianyuan was accused of receiving instructions from the Taiwan Affairs Office and executives of the “Fujian Daily Newspaper Group” for conducting fraudulent surveys in an attempt to influence the election. He too faced charges under Taiwan’s “Anti-Infiltration Law.”
Around 2010, Lin Jingdong, who had been a reporter stationed in Taiwan, built up some connections during several trips to Taiwan. With her increasing position at “Taiwan Guide Newspaper,” she became an operator for the united front operations against Taiwan.
Li Zhide recently disclosed on the commentary show “Three Kingdoms Symposium” that after TSMC Chairman Wei Zhejia announced an investment case in the US with President Trump in the White House on March 4th, the Fujian network launched a systematic campaign of public opinion attacks. News that initially received little attention suddenly became a mainstream media topic.
Monitoring showed that eight TikTok accounts under the Fujian network system published 99 short videos within a week focusing on topics such as “TSMC leaving” and “Taiwan being hollowed out” and “US cannot be trusted.”
More worrisome is that over 80% of this content originated from Taiwanese media outlets, including the Want Want Times (47 videos) and TVBS (9 videos). Chinese propaganda institutions deliberately employed rhetoric like “Taiwanese criticizing Taiwan” to increase credibility, edited the content, and distributed it on Douyin and TikTok, presenting a consistent message internally and externally.
Deputy Secretary-General of the Taiwan Security Association Ho Cheng-hui told Epoch Times, “The essence of fake news is not entirely fabrication but distorting narratives based on real events, precisely attacking specific groups, ultimately undermining trust in the government and institutions.”
The report also noted that under the influence of commercial interests and political pressure, Taiwan’s mainstream media have engaged in “media renting,” trading discourse power for mainland China’s benefits. In 2006, United Daily was authorized to print and sell in China. After Cai Yanming acquired China Times in 2008, it gradually shifted towards a pro-China stance.
Some green-leaning media outlets like “Formosa TV” have chosen a “selective silence” strategy to lower reporting on sensitive topics related to the Chinese Communist Party in exchange for benefits such as having their drama programs broadcast in mainland China.
In July 2009, Formosa TV co-produced the drama “God of the Physician” with Xiamen Radio and Television, the first cross-strait drama collaboration. Li Zhide pointed out that media alignment with China is considered a litmus test based on how they reported on the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. Formosa TV aired 15 news reports related to the incident in the days surrounding the anniversary in 2009 but significantly reduced it to three the following year (2010).
Furthermore, co-produced programs between the Chinese Communist Party and Taiwanese media serve as propaganda tools. For instance, Fujian Strait Satellite TV’s program “Treasure Island, Reporting In!” is produced in mainland China but filmed in locations such as Taipei, then broadcasted on platforms like China Television Two, creating the illusion of being “Made in Taiwan.”
Studies highlight that most of these programs use traditional Chinese characters, highly leveraging “localization” disguises with significant misleading effects.
While this recent recall vote in Taiwan did not change the composition of the parliament, the transformation of local media, red-shift of internet influencers, and airing of Chinese propaganda shows labeled as local productions create a complex landscape where Taiwanese society is currently at a critical juncture of deepening democracy and intense information warfare.
Bonnie Glaser, Director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, cautioned in a Central News Agency interview on July 26 that political polarization in Taiwan is endangering national security. She called for both sides to seek compromise, enhance governance, and resist China’s “political warfare” and erosion of public opinion.
In their joint book “US-Taiwan Relations – Will China’s Challenge Lead to Conflict?” with scholars Ryan Hass of the Brookings Institution and former AIT Chairman Richard Bush, Glaser stated that China’s military threats and propaganda infiltration are proceeding simultaneously. Without strict precautions, it will cause dual damage to Taiwan’s democracy and U.S. interests.