Expulsion of PRC Media Outlet Reveals Scale of Taiwan’s Information Challenge

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Mainland Affairs Council deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh speaks at a press conference in Taipei on Thursday. (Source: OCAC)

Executive Summary:

  • Taiwan is acting against media organizations operating in the country that are affiliated with the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) party-state.
  • In early January, Taiwan’s government revoked the operating license of the magazine Strait Herald following revelations about its influence and infiltration activities.
  • A sharp increase in disinformation targeting Taiwan in 2024 has prompted robust countermeasures, legislative reforms, enhanced cognitive warfare defenses, and international collaboration to combat PRC influence operations.
  • Calls to improve Taiwan’s national security framework, including by setting up courts dedicated to prosecuting espionage and infiltration cases, indicate how vulnerable Taiwan remains to digital and media influence operations.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC; 陸委會) announced on January 2 that it was suspending the presence of “Strait Herald (海峡导报),” and its parent organization, the Fujian Daily Press Group (福建日报报业集团), in Taiwan (YouTube/公視新聞網, January 2). According to MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑), Strait Herald was deemed to have the characteristics of a group engaging in united front work targeting Taiwan and was thus acting as a proxy for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This was inconsistent with its stated purpose and so violated local regulations, rendering it unsuitable for continued operation in Taiwan. As a result, Taiwan will no longer approve of the group’s reporters being stationed on the island. In a radio interview, MAC Minister Qiu Chui-zheng (邱垂正) stated that the vacated spots for Strait Herald reporters would be allocated to other media organizations from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) (VOA, January 3). The expulsion of the magazine has reignited public discourse on the presence and activities of PRC media organizations in Taiwan (PTS, January 3).

PRC Media Organizations Operating in Taiwan

There are currently eight PRC media outlets operating in Taiwan with 12 correspondents, according to recent reporting. These include People’s Daily (人民日报), Xinhua News Agency (新华社), China Central Television (CCTV; 中央电视台), China National Radio (中央人民广播电台), China News Service (CNS;中新社), Xiamen Media Group (厦门卫视), Strait Herald (海峡导报), and Hunan Broadcasting System (湖南广电) (VOA, January 3). Although they ostensibly function as independent media organizations, all are party–state-controlled entities aligned with CCP strategic interests and objectives.

These outlets reinforce the Party’s propaganda strategy in Taiwan. Among them, six—People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, China National Radio, CNS, and Hunan Broadcasting System—fall under the centralized management of the CCP’s Propaganda Department. Xinhua serves as Beijing’s primary news agency and global propaganda arm, while the People’s Daily operates as the official newspaper of the CCP, amplifying its policies and political messaging. CCTV and China National Radio are central broadcasters tasked with spreading pro-Beijing narratives. CNS, though smaller, is integral to united front operations, engaging in partnerships with Taiwanese organizations to subtly influence public opinion.

Some outlets focus primarily on fostering cultural and economic ties with Taiwan, such as the Xiamen Media Group and Strait Herald, based in Fujian Province. Even though they may not appear overtly political, they remain part of the CCP’s broader strategy to shape public opinion through softer narratives. The Hunan Broadcasting System is a provincial entity, it is the second largest state-owned network in the PRC and has a growing international presence (Statista, October 8, 2024). All of these outlets are aligned with CCP directives to emphasize cross-strait cultural integration

Strait Herald Sows Disinformation, Collaborates With Pro-Beijing Groups

Taiwan has heavily scrutinized PRC media ventures on the island. Authorities have long been wary of their potential role in spreading disinformation, cultivating pro-PRC sentiment, and sowing discord within Taiwan’s democratic society. For instance, investigations by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (國家安全局) have revealed Strait Herald’s connections to TikTok accounts used to amplify CCP narratives. These accounts reportedly disseminated pro-Beijing propaganda and controversial statements related to Taiwan, including during the run-up to Taiwan’s 2024 elections (VOA, January 3).

The volume of controversial information originating from the CCP that targeted Taiwan surged to 2.16 million instances in 2024, up from 1.33 million in 2023, according to a National Security Bureau report. The report also noted a significant rise in abnormal social media accounts, increasing from around 11,700 in 2023 to over 28,000 in 2024. These accounts propagate narratives to undermine Taiwanese citizens’ confidence in their government, escalate societal divisions, and spread skepticism about Taiwan’s alliances with the United States and other countries (DISA, January 4).

The issue gained widespread attention after a Taiwanese YouTuber, Ba Jiong (八炯), released a two-part documentary that exposed Strait Herald’s infiltration tactics. In one segment, the assistant to the magazine’s president, Lin Jingdong (林靖东), was recorded advising the PRC’s Taiwan Affairs Office (中共中央台办) to collaborate with pro-Beijing political groups in Taiwan (YouTube/攝徒日記Fun TV, December 6, 2024; December 28, 2024; China Brief Notes, January 13). Following these revelations, the MAC concluded that Strait Herald had moved beyond its role as a news organization by orchestrating disinformation campaigns and even fabricating polls to influence Taiwan’s presidential elections (Taipei Times, January 10, 2023).

Legislative Countermeasures Currently Insufficient

In recent years, legislative measures targeting foreign interference and the regulation of media ownership have been introduced to safeguard the island’s information sovereignty. Taiwan’s government has also established an “all-of-government (全政府)” mechanism to address cognitive warfare threats (VOA, January 3). Additionally, hundreds of international exchange events have been held to share experiences and collaborate with like-minded democracies in countering disinformation (Taipei Times, November 10, 2021).

MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh noted in January that Taiwan’s national security legal framework has loopholes. Groups like the Rehabilitation Alliance Party operate under seemingly innocuous affiliations, which allows some espionage cases to escape harsher sentencing. He reminded citizens that the CCP’s aim is to “to annihilate the Republic of China (Taiwan), which has been its goal since 1949.” He called for judicial reform and the establishment of dedicated courts for national security cases to address such threats effectively (Taipei Times, January 3, 2024).

Conclusion

The presence of PRC media organizations in Taiwan highlights the complex interplay between press freedom, foreign influence, and national security. The expulsion of Strait Herald underscores Taiwan’s determination to counter Beijing’s propaganda efforts, but it also exposes the inadequacy of current laws to meet the challenges posed by the PRC’s information warfare. It also raises broader questions about how democracies should respond to hostile state-directed media operating within their borders.