This report is part of the Japanese Ministry of Defense-affiliated Defense Research Institute’s annual publication on China’s military operations.The institute has published its China Security Report annually since 2011. This year’s report focused largely on cognitive warfare and cyber-attack. China has established an army intelligence-gathering wing that engages in cyber and cognitive warfare. The new division disseminates propaganda and disinformation through traditional and social media platforms, with a focus on promoting Taiwan’s unification with China. The report also indicates that China has conducted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s political, economic, and military institutions, with the intention of stealing or destroying data and sowing panic among the Taiwanese people during Chinese navy and air force exercises. Additionally, China has created fake news stories purported to be from Taiwan in an attempt to damage Taiwan’s international reputation.
