By Feimao Jia | 2025-03-11

Beijing launched a new series of influence campaigns against Taiwan ahead of China's annual "Two Sessions" political gathering, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA), citing national security sources.

The "Two Sessions" refers to the annual plenary sessions of the National People's Congress and of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which are typically held every March.

The influence campaigns are promoting three main narratives -- increasing suspicion of US leadership, questioning US commitment to Taiwan and comparing Ukraine to Taiwan, CNA reported February 27.

The narratives are primarily aimed at sowing distrust between Taiwan and the United States.

Beijing has mobilized its "integrated media" system, which includes official propaganda, official media and relevant social media platforms, according to the report.

The system includes collaborators in Taiwan and key Chinese opinion leaders as well.

The United States remains steadfast in its Indo-Pacific strategy, Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo on March 3 reaffirmed.

"The United States cannot withdraw from the Indo-Pacific because this is a core national interest -- economically, geopolitically and militarily," he said.

Taiwan's security is directly tied to regional stability, Koo emphasized, highlighting its strategic position in the first island chain linking Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines.

"If Taiwan were breached by the Chinese Communist Party, what situation would Japan and the Philippines face?" Koo warned, stressing that China's expansionist ambitions would not stop at Taiwan.

Both the US State Department and the Pentagon have consistently expressed clear support for Taiwan, Taiwan's national security officials have underscored.

Strategic value

Taiwan must actively demonstrate its strategic and economic value to maintain strong US support, Yao-Yuan Yeh, a political scientist at University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, told Focus.

He pointed to a recent update of the US State Department's official description of US-Taiwan relations that omitted the phrase "not supporting Taiwan independence," as a potential sign of strengthening ties.

Taiwan has taken concrete steps to enhance its global standing.

President Lai Ching-te recently convened a high-level national security meeting, proposing the "Global Semiconductor Democratic Supply Chain Partnership Initiative" and committing to increasing defense spending to 3% of GDP.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) plans to invest $100 billion to expand its manufacturing operations in the United States, on top of $65 billion in investments the company had previously announced.

Lai on March 6 hailed the "historic moment for Taiwan-US relations" at a joint news conference with TSMC chairman and chief executive C. C. Wei at the Taiwanese Presidential Office.

China has upped military pressure on Taiwan in recent years to press its claim of sovereignty over the self-ruled island, where TSMC has its headquarters and the bulk of its fabrication plants.

"The more Taiwan invests in the United States and strengthens cooperation, the more favorable its standing will be," said Yeh.

As Beijing intensifies its disinformation campaigns, Taiwan's best countermeasure lies in reinforcing its strategic, economic and defense commitments, thus ensuring its role as a vital US ally in the Indo-Pacific region.