China is trying to influence Taiwan elections, targeting youth voters using TikTok app

Taiwan is preparing for presidential elections to be held on January 13 next year. Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is facing off against Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih, representing the Kuomintang, and Ko Wen-ji of the Taiwan People’s Party. Even though Taiwanese are ready to make a choice, fears remain that Beijing is targeting young Taiwanese to influence their votes. According to Taiwan-based newspaper Taipei Times, China is targeting young voters using the TikTok app. The report says that the purpose of the videos being shared on TikTok is to spread distrust in Taiwan’s government and military.

According to the Taipei Times, the Chinese government-backed Global Times and other pro-regime outlets have published reports critical of the ruling DPP and its leaders in order to generate negative opinions about the party. The Taipei Times quoted sources as saying that “the Chinese Communist Party [सीसीपी] has framed this election as a choice between ‘war and peace’ and continues to spread the threat of war through China’s state media. The source said pro-China candidates have also repeated these threats and claimed that a vote for the DPP is a vote to send the youth to the battlefield. They are cooperating with the CCP to intimidate Taiwanese. The videos aim to turn voters’ attention toward parties that may seem favorable to closer ties with Beijing and to generate pro-China sentiment among young voters in Taiwan.

The CCP is also trying to convince young Taiwanese that conscription means they are sacrificing their studies, careers and futures, the source said, quoted by the Taipei Times. The source further said that China intends to use cognitive warfare to promote negative views on the ruling party’s policies among young Taiwanese, which would influence the outcome of the election. In a recent closed-door security briefing, Taiwan’s intelligence community warned that China was working to influence Taiwan’s upcoming election by using disinformation, CNN reported. Its goal was to strengthen the chances of opposition candidates who are in favor of improving relations with Beijing.

Government employees in Taiwan are banned from using TikTok, but there is no blanket ban on the app for citizens. The current DPP is said to be leading in all opinion polls. Taiwan’s elections are being held at a time when tensions between China and Taiwan are at their peak.