China honing abilities for a possible future attack, Taiwan defence report warns

TAIPEI: China is increasing military activities near Taiwan and honing its ability to stage a surprise attack, as well as seeking to undermine trust in the government with "hybrid" online warfare tactics, the island's defence ministry said on Thursday.

AI Brief

China has intensified military drills and uses AI-driven cyberattacks and misinformation to destabilise Taiwan.
Beijing employs non-combat harassment and deepfake content to erode public trust and weaken Taiwan's defense resolve.
Taiwan is modernising its military and increasing defense spending as tensions rise ahead of President Lai's National Day speech.

Democratically-governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has faced increased military pressure from Beijing over the past five years, including at least seven rounds of major war games around the island since 2022.

China has been using artificial intelligence tools to weaken Taiwan's cybersecurity and to scan for weak points in critical infrastructure, the defence ministry said in a report released every two years.

Beijing is also using "hybrid warfare" to weaken people's trust in the government and support for defence spending, and stepping up "grey zone" harassment, it added, referring to non-combat operations such as coast guard patrols designed to pressure Taiwan.

"Through both conventional and unconventional military actions, it aims to test its capabilities for attacking Taiwan and confronting foreign forces," the ministry said.

China could try to suddenly shift drills into active combat mode to catch Taiwan and its international supporters off guard, posing a significant threat to regional peace and security, it added.

In recent years, China has been extensively using civilian roll-on/roll-off merchant vessels for military transport operations and continues to develop specialised equipment for beach landing operations, the ministry said.

China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

The report said China is using a "professional cyber army" to manipulate social media accounts and flood them with misinformation to sow division in Taiwanese society and weaken trust in the government.

Chinese state media outlets and local collaborators have also worked to weaken the will to fight, it said.

The ministry added China has also been using deepfake technology to make videos and utilising AI to "generate polarising political rhetoric".

China considers Taiwan President Lai Ching-te a "separatist". Lai rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future.

Taiwan's government has embarked on a military modernisation programme and pledged to spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2030.

The report was released one day before Lai gives his key national day speech. China last year held war games after that same event in what it said was a warning to "separatist acts".

China's last formal war games around Taiwan took place in April, though its warplanes and warships operate almost daily in the skies and waters close to the island.