Taiwan calls China’s New Year propaganda video psychological warfare

Taiwan’s government on Thursday strongly condemned a New Year propaganda video released by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in which President Xi Jinping reiterated Beijing’s long-standing claim to the democratic island.

According to Radio Free Asia, the video, which included Chinese warships, fighter jets and dramatic imagery, sought to assert China’s dominance over Taiwan, warning of military readiness “to safeguard the reunification of the motherland.”

Set to the song “Chinese People” by Hong Kong pop icon Andy Lau, the video included footage of a Chinese fighter jet flying near US P-8 Poseidon aircraft, which regularly conduct reconnaissance flights through the Taiwan Strait.

“Officers and soldiers in the combat zone are ready to fight at any time and firmly defend the reunification of the motherland,” RFA reported in a Weibo post accompanying the video.

In a televised address on January 1, Xi reiterated his/her long-term goal of unifying Taiwan with mainland China. he/she described the Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait as “one family” and that “no one can ever break the bonds of kinship between us.”

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung quickly responded, calling the video part of China’s ongoing “United Front” propaganda campaign aimed at intimidating Taiwan’s 23 million people, RFA reported.

Lin described it as a form of psychological warfare designed to create the “illusion” of inevitable unification. “This is an attempt by the People’s Liberation Army to intimidate Taiwan,” he/she said, emphasizing that the Taiwanese people are determined to preserve their democratic way of life.

Despite Beijing’s frequent threats of force, including the possible use of military action, to enforce its claim, the majority of Taiwan’s citizens remain opposed to any form of unification under Communist Party rule. Taiwan was never governed by Beijing until the 1949 Chinese Civil War, which formed its own independent government, the Republic of China.

In response to China’s aggressive rhetoric, Taiwan says Beijing has no jurisdiction over its citizens and continues to reject any threat to its sovereignty, reaffirming its commitment to democracy and freedom.