Russian and Chinese disinformation about Ukraine, which is ideologically connected to ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda on Taiwan, is breaking through into online discourse on the democratic island, a fact-checking company based there has said.According to Taiwans Information Operations Research Group (IORG), which seeks to “counter authoritarian expansion with clinical research and grassroots organization,” tens of countless social media posts, articles, videos and comments have deluged the Chinese-language web since Russian troops began massing on the Ukrainian border in November 2021. Among the CCP stories, which are often straight echoes of the Kremlins own, are the idea that the relationship between Russia and Ukraine is comparable to that of an ex-husband and wife, that the war was made inescapable by NATOs eastward growths, and that the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion is accountable both for mass murder in Ukraine, and for violently supporting Hong Kong independence.Far-right Ukrainians were spotted at the Hong Kong demonstration movement of 2019, which likewise won vocal assistance from ultra-conservative political leaders in the U.S., and were outed on social networks by protesters at the time, most of whom didnt welcome their existence in Hong Kong.Other Chinese-language, pro-Russian takes on the Russian intrusion consist of the concept that Ukraine is to Russia what Texas is to the United States, that Ukraine has actually taken part in a “de-Russification” program that overlooks the rights of Russians in the nation, and the slogan “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” These narratives have actually been recurring in both simplified Chinese from China and conventional Chinese from Taiwan and Hong Kong across Facebook, LINE and Weibo, and represent a massive info offensive, IORG codirector Yu Chih-hao told The Reporter.
Among the sources for the neo-Nazi claim was traced by IORG and RFAs partner, The Reporter, to a Nov. 13 post in simplified Chinese published to the Chinese International Facebook page. The post mentioned state media Russia Today ( RT). A comparable article appeared on the Russian news firm Sputnik, which has 11.62 million fans on Chinas Weibo platform.By Nov. 15, 2021, the nationalist Global Times was accusing the Ukrainian federal government of “flirting” with nationalist militants and fascist groups, with the narrative spreading like wildfire through content farms and Facebook pages in the month that followed.
Language assists in fake news circulation
A survey of Chinese reports on Ukraine released during the past 4 month, brought out by IORG and The Reporter, discovered at least 400 articles that straight mentioned Russian state media as the primary source of information.The majority covered Zelenskyys now-debunked “flight from Kyiv,” the incorrect claim that Russia now controls Ukrainian airspace, and disinformation that the U.S. covertly assisted Ukraine establish biochemical weapons at a network of laboratories.The ready schedule of such content in Chinese makes it that a lot easier for these items of phony news to penetrate websites in democratic Taiwan, You said.Senior journalists in Taiwan who spoke anonymously to The Reporter and RFA stated they are generally expected to write global report under severe time pressure, and depend on pricing estimate agency reports while associating them to their source, without any time or resources to carry out an independent fact-check on each one.According to the Taiwan Journalists Association, only a handful of the islands mainstream news media used for worldwide press accreditation to cover the war from Eastern Europe. Most other outlets rely purely on assembling copy from various wire services to offer their readers with news of the war.” What Taiwan requires to do is to learn from the Ukrainians how to enhance their ability to analyze info through everyday reading and dialogue, and practise pressing back versus disinformation operations,” You stated.” This is really important, if we are to enhance democracys defenses,” he said.Based on a collaborative report by RFAs Mandarin Service and The Reporter, a Taiwan-based investigative publication. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie..
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Hong Kong, too
In Hong Kong, the CCP-backed Wen Wei Po used up the theme, reporting: “Ukrainian neo-Nazis have extended their black hand to other countries and areas, including taking part in the [2019 protest movement] in Hong Kong two years back,” declaring that they were working with “Hong Kong separatists.” Calls for self-reliance for Hong Kong appeared fairly late throughout the demonstration motion, which began as a mass movement opposing extradition to mainland China, and broadened to consist of calls for totally democratic elections and official accountability.They were later on forbidden under an extreme national security law troubled Hong Kong by the CCP from July 1, 2020. There were likewise parallels in between Russias claim on Ukraine, using neo-fascism as an excuse, and the CCPs threat of military intrusion of Taiwan, given the Taiwan authorities vocal support for the Hong Kong protests movement.According to You, this oversimplification and exaggeration of the power and impact of the Azov battalion is purposeful, because it is preparing the ground for a future invasion of Taiwan, which has never been ruled by the CCP, nor formed part of individualss Republic of China.The stating “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow,” is likewise all over the Taiwanese internet, and is created to offer an air of inevitability both to Russias invasion of Ukraine, and to a putative Chinese invasion of Taiwan, IORG said.Summer Chen, editor-in-chief of the Taiwan FactCheck Center (TFC), stated the war has as soon as more highlighted Taiwans vulnerability to information warfare.She pointed out a Sputnik News Agency report on Feb. 26 claiming that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had actually run away Kyiv, which appeared on a number of mainstream Taiwanese media websites. While the short article was based upon “unofficial reports,” the headlines about Zelenskyys “escape” from Kyiv offered the impression of legitimacy.Chen stated Taiwanese media are especially vulnerable to manipulation on Ukraine, as they lack their own sources of info on the ground, and rely too easily on Russian media for news of the war.Lu Sibin, a researcher at Taiwans Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the same content is also widely circulating in Chinese state media.” This is a phenomenon that hasnt occurred before,” Lu informed RFA. “Not numerous people are aware of the level to which Russian media content is being recycled and distributed in Chinese.”” Everyone thinks its just there to improve the performance targets of Russian officials.”
A male collects pictures from a school hit by Russian rockets in the southern Ukraine town of Zelenyi Hai in between Kherson and Mykolaiv, less than 5 km (3 miles) from the front line, April 1, 2022. Credit: AFP
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and his Chinese equivalent Wang Yi during his very first see to China considering that Moscow launched its intrusion of Ukraine in February, at their meeting in Huangshan in Chinas Anhui province, March 30, 2022. Credit: China Central Television (CCTV) by means of AFPTV.
” These stories have been repeating in both simplified Chinese from China and traditional Chinese from Taiwan and Hong Kong throughout Facebook, LINE and Weibo, and represent a massive details offensive, IORG codirector Yu Chih-hao informed The Reporter.
One of the sources for the neo-Nazi claim was traced by IORG and RFAs partner, The Reporter, to a Nov. 13 post in simplified Chinese published to the Chinese International Facebook page. While the post was based on “unconfirmed reports,” the headlines about Zelenskyys “escape” from Kyiv offered the impression of legitimacy.Chen stated Taiwanese media are especially vulnerable to manipulation on Ukraine, as they lack their own sources of information on the ground, and rely too quickly on Russian media for news of the war.Lu Sibin, a researcher at Taiwans Institute for National Defense and Security Research, stated the very same material is also extensively flowing in Chinese state media. A survey of Chinese reports on Ukraine published during the past 4 month, brought out by IORG and The Reporter, found at least 400 posts that directly mentioned Russian state media as the main source of information.The majority covered Zelenskyys now-debunked “flight from Kyiv,” the incorrect claim that Russia now manages Ukrainian airspace, and disinformation that the U.S. privately helped Ukraine establish biochemical weapons at a network of laboratories.The all set availability of such material in Chinese makes it that much simpler for these products of phony news to permeate sites in democratic Taiwan, You said.Senior journalists in Taiwan who spoke anonymously to The Reporter and RFA stated they are normally anticipated to compose up global news reports under extreme time pressure, and rely on estimating firm reports while associating them to their source, with no time or resources to carry out an independent fact-check on each one.According to the Taiwan Journalists Association, just a handful of the islands mainstream news media applied for worldwide press accreditation to cover the war from Eastern Europe.” What Taiwan needs to do is to discover from the Ukrainians how to enhance their capability to interpret info through day-to-day reading and dialogue, and practise pushing back against disinformation operations,” You stated.
