By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard
TAIPEI (Reuters) -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.
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.
"The Chinese communists have adopted routine grey zone harassment tactics, combined with joint combat readiness patrols, targeted military exercises and cognitive warfare, posing a comprehensive threat to us," the defence ministry said in a report released every two years.
Grey zone refers to non-combat operations designed to put pressure on Taiwan such as coast guard patrols, damage to undersea cables and flying balloons.
China's coast guard is expanding its activities around Taiwan and may in future take "aggressive containment measures" in concert with the military while rehearsing attack scenarios, the report said.
SHIFTING A DRILL TO AN ATTACK
Beijing is also using "hybrid warfare" to weaken people's trust in the government and support for defence spending, and using artificial intelligence tools to weaken Taiwan's cybersecurity and to scan for weak points in critical infrastructure, it added.
"Through both conventional and unconventional military actions, it aims to test its capabilities for attacking Taiwan and confronting foreign forces," the ministry said.
China's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
China could also 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, Taiwan's ministry 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.
MANIPULATING SOCIAL MEDIA
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 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.
(Reporting by Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Kate Mayberry)
