Cuts hamper fight on Chinese disinfo

QUIET AFFAIRS: Slashing the MAC’s media budget by about 88% is excessive and would create information gaps that Beijing would welcome, the academic said

• By Huang Ching-hsuan and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writer

• • Add TT as Preferred Source

  • 

  • 

  • 

Heavy cuts to government media budgets in this year’s general budget would weaken Taiwan’s ability to counter Chinese disinformation and cognitive warfare, a researcher said on Sunday.

The legislature on Friday passed the central government’s annual budget, but slashed the media budgets of all government agencies by 50 percent.

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) was hit with an even deeper cut, with its media budget cut to about NT$1.5 million (US$47,093) from NT$12.95 million.

The name and logo of the Mainland Affairs Council are pictured on a podium at the council in Taipei in an undated photograph.

Photo: Taipei Times

It is the council’s job to analyze China’s policies toward Taiwan, “united front” tactics and cross-strait risks and communicate its findings to Taiwanese, said Hung Pu-chao (洪浦釗), deputy executive director of Tunghai University’s Center for Mainland China and Regional Development Research.

The deep cut to the council’s media budget would hinder its ability to communicate the information it gathers and analyzes and make it easier for Chinese messaging to gain influence in Taiwan, he said.

In its cognitive warfare efforts against Taiwan, China uses social media and exchanges to spread narratives that influence how Taiwanese view cross-strait relations, Hung said.

The government needs the resources to verify information and communicate with Taiwanese, he said.

The cuts weaken the government’s ability to counter China’s “united front” tactics and cognitive warfare through public communication and information campaigns, he added.

The MAC needs to communicate effectively with diverse groups facing different risks, including people traveling to China for tourism, study, work, business or exchanges, Hung said.

The cuts would limit the MAC’s reach and the channels available to it for targeted communication, making it harder for the council to get relevant information to those who need it, he said.

The legislature has the right to scrutinize government spending and review the effectiveness of media budgets, including asking agencies to explain or improve how funds are used, but cutting the council’s media budget to just 12 percent of its original amount is excessive, Hung said.

Taiwan would ultimately bear the cost of wider information gaps and greater risks from the cuts, he said, adding that this is a result China would welcome.

The cuts to the MAC’s media budget would make it harder for the government to inform people about China’s actions toward Taiwan, potential risks of traveling to China and changes to Chinese laws, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chang Hung-lu (張宏陸) said.

Without this information, Taiwanese could be at risk while traveling in China and Beijing would have an opportunity to claim it has jurisdiction over Taiwan, Chang said.