This thesis examines disinformation in Taiwan during the 2020 presidential election and the 2022 local elections. It argues that the Chinese government employs disinformation as a form of...Show moreThis thesis examines disinformation in Taiwan during the 2020 presidential election and the 2022 local elections. It argues that the Chinese government employs disinformation as a form of psychological warfare. Therefore, the thesis seeks to answer: “How is disinformation that is disseminated through content farms in Taiwan as a form of psychological warfare developing since the Taiwanese presidential election in 2020?” Using the 'content farm' Mission as a case study, the thesis finds there is a consistent bias against the Democratic People's Party (DPP) and favourable towards the Kuomintang (KMT), but (1) a slight decrease in terms of ‘lure’ and (2) a slight rise in the positive attention given to the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The thesis thus highlights the continuous development of China's state-led disinformation campaigns and its implications for democratic elections worldwide.Show less
In January 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping commemorated the 40th anniversary of the historical 'Message to Compatriots in Taiwan' with a speech that reiterated that Taiwan's sole sovereign...Show moreIn January 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping commemorated the 40th anniversary of the historical 'Message to Compatriots in Taiwan' with a speech that reiterated that Taiwan's sole sovereign government is that of the People's Republic of China and that Taiwan must reunify with China as such. Xi's speech was celebrated in the Chinese state media but heavily criticised in the Taiwanese news. This thesis looks at Chinese official discourse in both official speeches and state-owned newspaper articles and argues the close relationship between the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese state media allows for the unified promotion of the 'one China' principle in order to justify increasingly aggressive cross-strait rhetoric and policy.Show less
In recent years China’s influence in the global order has increased remarkably, thereby stirring up opinions whether China will once again become the world’s leading power by taking over the US’s...Show moreIn recent years China’s influence in the global order has increased remarkably, thereby stirring up opinions whether China will once again become the world’s leading power by taking over the US’s position. Accompanied with their rapid economic growth, Chinese outbound tourism increased substantially. Due to this growing middle class, accompanied with higher disposable income, China has become the largest tourism marked in the world in terms of travels. Due to growing international tourism of Chinese citizens to overseas holiday destinations the phenomenon of cultural interaction between China and other countries is reinforced. As tourism via the Taiwan Strait is said to be dependent on the changing political relations of the two governments, this thesis will conduct research on the influence of tourism in relation to political affairs between China and Taiwan. Consequently, this research will look into the utilization of tourism as a political tool as part of public diplomacy, specifically analyzing the way in which China uses tourism as a public diplomacy tool and how they apply this as a political tool on Taiwan, demonstrating the framework of tourism to wield both soft and hard power. This research will focus the Approved Destination Status policy by the Chinese regarding the regulation of group tours visits to other entities, which has been operating between China and Taiwan since 2008.Show less
