Chinese Leaders Plot Interference in Taiwan's Presidential Election; Researchers Uncover Manipulation Campaign; Bureaus on High Alert for Disinformation in 2024 Elections

Chinese leader Wang Huning convened a high-level meeting to coordinate efforts to influence Taiwan's upcoming presidential election, urging officials to be more effective and discreet in their work, according to a senior Taiwanese security official. The meeting aimed to ramp up the Chinese Communist Party's effectiveness in influencing Taiwan's public opinion while reducing the likelihood of external parties finding evidence of interference. Strategies discussed include magnifying narratives that the election is a "choice between war and peace" and portraying the ruling Democratic Progressive Party as "diehard Taiwan separatists." China has long been accused of meddling in Taiwan elections, and tensions have escalated as Beijing increases pressure on the democratic island.