China is spreading disinformation in Taiwan ahead of the upcoming presidential election in January. Much of the disinformation aims to portray America, not China, as Taiwan’s greatest threat. The disinformation narratives are finding their way into Taiwanese media and influencing talk shows. A study found that while Chinese actors help spread most of the US-skepticism narratives, over half appear to have Taiwanese origins, suggesting China piggybacks on existing fears in Taiwanese society. China has developed systematic means of spreading falsehoods on Taiwanese social media that then get amplified by mass media, sometimes within half a day. However, surveys still show Taiwanese are warier of China than America.

The disinformation campaign underscores China’s insidious efforts to mislead Taiwanese voters, though its actual impact on the election remains uncertain.