Taiwan fighting disinformation campaign from China amid island's support for Ukraine, top diplomat says

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised concerns among political observers over China's approach toward Taiwan and the possibility of similar military action there.

As western governments try to crack down on Russian disinformation over the invasion, Taiwan's top diplomat in western Canada says the island has been battling a campaign of disinformation from the Chinese government.

China considers democratically governed Taiwan a breakaway province and has over the past two years increased military pressure against it.

While Taiwan is supporting Ukraine in the conflict against Russia, China is one of the few countries that has so far refused to condemn Russia's attack and call it an invasion.

Angel Lihsin Liu, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, spoke to guest host Margaret Gallagher on CBC's On The Coast.

The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

How is Taiwan responding to Russia's invasion of Ukraine?

The Taiwan government has helped Taiwanese nationals in Ukraine evacuate out of the country, joined western countries in imposing economic sanctions against Russia, and provided 27 tonnes of medical supplies to Ukraine. In addition, the foreign ministry has set up a donation fund to help Ukrainian refugees so that the public, including Taiwanese citizens and all overseas Taiwanese, can make donations in support of the Ukrainian people. Many overseas Taiwanese are also joining local rallies in support of Ukrainian people, and urge their governments to provide assistance to the people of Ukraine.

There's a lot of information on Chinese social media right now about the invasion of Ukraine and its implications for Taiwan. What do you make of this? 

We get a lot of media infiltration from China on a daily basis. We get the message that its agents have sent out, a message that western countries and the U.S. are useless, and that the U.S. will abandon Taiwan in case China attacks Taiwan. This is misinformation and disinformation sent out by the Chinese, which is a united front strategy. The U.S. and Taiwan are aware of the strategy, and we will continue to co-operate with the U.S. government in defending our country.

How is Taiwan dealing with this misinformation?

The Taiwan government established a team in the executive branch to oversee policies for countering disinformation and co-ordinate with other agencies. The team promotes a framework focused on identification, debunking, combat and punishment of disinformation. Civil society in Taiwan has become more alert and created non-governmental organizations to detect fake news online. Companies in Taiwan such as Facebook and LINE, which is similar to WhatsApp, have become faster at fighting and removing fake accounts and disinformation.

The Chinese government says it's willing to mediate between Russia and Ukraine with hopes to end the war. What do you make of this? 

I don't believe a country which has posed a potential military threat to Taiwan would play a peaceful role in this situation, and we condemn any kind of force that poses a military threat to a democratic and free country. 

The Chinese government still represents Taiwan in the United Nations. How does Taiwan plan to increase its international influence? 

We don't think the People's Republic of China government can represent the 23.5 million of Taiwanese in the United Nations. We urge the free world, including Canada, to support Taiwan's meaningful participation in the United Nations system, including the World Health Organization, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Interpol.