A call out to China for distorting the truth

It is often said that China is the world’s foremost peddler of fake news and distorted truths. The recent incident in the Taiwan Strait exemplifies this assertion.

Oct. 10 was a festive day for the Taiwanese people. Our friendly northern neighbor celebrated its 113th birthday amid much joy and celebration. As has become customary, President Lai Ching-te led his people to remember the many struggles their forefathers endured to achieve independence. He cited the achievements of the Taiwanese people and affirmed the country’s commitment to a bright future anchored on democracy and the rule of law.

In his address, President Lai reiterated Taiwan’s long-time position relating to their sovereignty. He stated: “On this land, democracy and freedom are growing and thriving. The People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan.” Lai further said, “I will… uphold the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty.”

These words are nothing new. They have been uttered time and again by the Democratic Progressive Party (Lai’s political party) as well as Taiwan’s former chief executives.

Declarations of this nature are typically met with mere verbal refutes from Beijing, nothing more. Not this time. The Chinese Communist Party took its reproach to the next level by responding with threatening propaganda and aggression.

Beijing circulated an animated cartoon depicting President Lai with pointed ears, as if a devil, with the map of Taiwan below him. Moments later, Lai’s image disappears and the cartoon showed Chinese jets, warships and troops surrounding Taiwan. The 15-second video was an ominous warning.

As the cartoon circulated on social media, the People’s Liberation Army undertook massive military drills in and around Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone. This happened just days after Taiwan’s national day celebration.

Some 125 fighter jets, drones, choppers and 30 warships were deployed in Taiwan’s northern, eastern and western coasts. There, combat exercises were carried out, one that simulated an invasion of the island republic. Beijing called it its “Punishment Drills.” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office described it as “a resolute punishment for Lai Ching-te’s continuous fabrication of Taiwan’s independent nonsense.”

“Nonsense”… China referred to President Lai’s declarations as “nonsense.” Insults hurled at this level is a clear indication of an escalation and breakdown of diplomatic channels.

Mao Ning, the spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, stated Beijing’s official position on the matter. She said, “Taiwan independence is incompatible with peace in the Taiwan Strait. And the provocation of the Taiwan forces will inevitably be countered.”

Mao Ning’s statement is a perfect example of how China manipulates the truth and peddles disinformation. In one sentence, China attempted to convey three distorted truths.

One, “Taiwan’s independence is incompatible with peace.” The opposite is true. The status quo is peaceful. It is China’s desire to subsume Taiwan and unify her with the mainland that is disturbing the peace and causing instability in the Taiwan Strait.

Two, “provocation of the Taiwan forces.” This implies that Taiwan is the active provocateur. Not true. President Lai merely reiterated Taiwan’s position of independence. It is in fact China’s Punishment Drills that stoked instability anew and incited retaliation.

Three, the statement as a whole implies that it is Taiwan that is escalating tensions. Again, not true. Taiwan has not committed any act of aggression towards China for decades. It is in fact China that has made it a practice to intimidate Taiwan by frequently sending military aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers, into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ). It has positioned thousands of missiles along its coastline, aimed at Taiwan. It regularly simulates blockades and encirclements on Taiwan. China’s acts of escalation against Taiwan have intensified every year since Xi Jinping took power in 2013.

As expected, the Taiwanese government condemned both the Chinese statements and the punishment drills. The US called it an unwarranted act of escalation.

China’s over-reaction to a mere reiteration of Taiwan’s statement of independence brought tensions to new heights. It marked a new phase in cross Strait hostilities.

China – the region’s instigator of tensions

The peace-loving Taiwanese are not the only ones living under the specter of Chinese intimidation and threat of war. Nations across the Indo-Pacific suffer the same bullying treatment from Beijing.

China is involved in a long list of territorial disputes that traverse terrestrial and maritime territories. Each country with whom China has a territorial dispute is on the receiving end of its bullying.

On land, China has a dispute with India over the Aksai Chin and the Arunachal Pradesh region. It has disputes with Bhutan over the Doklam Plateau. It has conflicts with Nepal over swaths of the Nepal-China border. It had successfully subsumed 1,158 square kilometers of the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan. In Russia, the regions of Heixiazi Island (Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island) were split between China and Russia.

At sea, China has disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Japan. The Philippines is the only country that filed a case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration under the framework of UNCLOS. The decision was passed in July 2016 and the court decided in the Philippines’ favor. Yet, China refuses to recognize the court’s decision, effectively ignoring the rule of law. The communist nation continues to illegally occupy maritime territories of others.

All these territorial disputes are hotspots for conflicts – some more intense than others. This has made China the primary cause of instability in the region.

Let’s put it this way. If China were to rein in its aggression, respect the rule of law and abandon its pursuit of hegemony, the Indo-Pacific will be a much safer, more secure place where people live in peace.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan