Taiwan says China is redoubling efforts to undermine democracy with disinformation

Taiwan's government says China is redoubling efforts to undermine confidence in the self-governing island's democracy with the spread of disinformation, especially online. The National Security Bureau said the number of pieces of false or biased information distributed by China increased 60% last year to 2.16 million from 1.33 million in 2023. It described the items as “controversial information,” but did not further define the term. China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping saying in a New Years day address that unification with Taiwan was unstoppable and could not be blocked by outside forces, a likely reference to the U.S., Taiwan's most important ally.