Ukraine and the war of rumours in Taiwan

Perhaps the new thing that stopped the Egyptian researcher during the current military confrontations between Russia and Ukraine was the “war of concepts” and the distraction of internal public opinion in Taiwan through a number of Americans and foreigners residing there, and an attempt to mobilize Taiwan public opinion against its own leaders in the face of China. This is what Taiwanese President “Tsai”, despite her disloyalty to the Beijing government, noticed by calling for not to pay attention to the “war of rumors”, which are broadcasting by a number of foreign forces and elements, with the aim of “igniting strife and dividing the country and citizens against each other”, instead of uniting them in confrontation  Hence, a call was made to all (Taiwanese government units, information technology centers and Internet monitoring) to prevent these targeted fallacies and stop spreading and broadcasting these malicious rumors, which seek to fragment Taiwanese society and push it to confront its own government and leaders, with the aim of (igniting the Taiwan situation  With Beijing in favor of the United States of America and the West).

  Therefore, during the confrontations between Russia and Ukraine, the Taiwanese government prepared at the present time to prevent the “war of rumours, and the dissemination of false information in the face of the Taiwan government and its leaders to ignite war and verbal hostility with the leaders of the Communist Party of China in Beijing”. These fallacies and propaganda news mainly spread by those foreign forces. And their accomplices, on the domestic scene in Taiwan, according to the assurances of officials and leaders of the Taiwan government itself, as follows:

  The United States of America plays propaganda in Taiwan, and Washington encouraged Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to form a (working group within the National Security Council of Taiwan) with the sole aim of following up on the Ukrainian crisis with Russia as a similar situation to the Taiwanese case with China, especially after “Putin” announced on Monday, February 21, his recognition of the two separatist regions in the “Donbass”, concern increased clearly in the corridors of the Taiwanese government, based on what was ignited by the US policy with its hostile attitudes and opposition to the policies of China, and this was reflected in the statements of Taiwanese President Tsai herself. Although “Tsai” said in earlier periods, emphasizing:

  “There are fundamental differences between Taiwan and Ukraine in terms of geopolitics, traditional geography and global supply chains”

  But it is worth analyzing here, and what stopped me personally, analytically and academically, is (the extent to which Taiwanese President Tsai realizes that same American and Western conspiracy to push China to confront and invade Taiwan, to achieve Washington’s aims and purposes in confronting China globally by exploiting the Russian crisis with Ukraine). This is what I interpreted analytically by carefully stopping at the ambiguous and understandable “Cai” phrase for me at the same time, to suggest its understanding of what Washington and the West aim at exploiting the Ukraine crisis to encourage China to do the same in Taiwan. Tsai’s explicit assertion about:

  At the same time, Taiwan is facing foreign powers that intend to take advantage of the situation in Ukraine to affect the morale of Taiwanese society. Therefore, all Taiwan government units must be strengthened, and all their preparations are put in place to prevent the “war of concepts, false and distorted information”, which is spread by those forces.  foreigners and their accomplices “in the domestic arena of Taiwan”

  Following up on the official Chinese response to Taiwan President “Tsai’s statements”, it came through all Chinese official media and newspapers affiliated with the ruling Communist Party in China, in major press headlines, emphasizing the following:

  “Comparisons between the Ukrainian and Taiwanese issues are inappropriate, and it is inappropriate to point out that after the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis with Russia, and constantly remind many of the Taiwan issue, simply because these people lack even the slightest understanding of the Taiwan issue with respect to China, because the Taiwan issue  It has arisen as a result of civil war and political confrontations, but the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Chinese state has not been and cannot be divided, and this is the current status of the Taiwan issue, because Taiwan is in fact not Ukraine, Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of the territory of China, and this is a fact  Historic and legal are indisputable, and the principle of “one China” is an accepted standard of international relations, and that peace on the Taiwan island has become dependent on the peaceful development of relations between Beijing and Taipei, and not on Taiwan’s co-optation of foreign powers in the hope of selling weapons or providing military support.  China can sum up the Taiwan issue for the international community, that Taiwan’s independence is a road that leads nowhere, and no one should misunderstand or underestimate it”

  China is also trying to respond to the “war of malicious American and Western rumors within Taiwanese society with the aim of dividing it in the face of the Beijing government”, through China’s attempts to explain the reality of the current situation, and the extent of the West and the United States of America’s desire to be present in the region to cause division and the collapse of countries, while provoking the  China has these concerns that it rejects the expansion of  “NATO”, such as the position of its Russian ally on Ukraine, in order to ensure the future security interests of China and Taiwan, especially with those American attempts to include both “Australia and Japan” in  “NATO” membership, as well as what I personally noticed among those repeated visits made by former US Defense Secretary “Mark Esper” during the Trump era to Australia, and his meeting with the Australian Minister of Defense to agree on Australia’s membership in “NATO”, which raises the ire and fears of China. Therefore, the Ukraine-Russia crisis came as an occasion (to confirm the Chinese rejection of the US polarization of neighboring countries and the direct regional influence of Russia and China).

  Here, the Chinese attempts to allay the fears of the Taiwanese, through (what is broadcast by the official Chinese media and newspapers affiliated with the ruling Communist Party in Beijing), by emphasizing that the policy of standing and implicitly Chinese solidarity with Moscow, Beijing and Taiwan win the same “cards”, as a great diplomatic pressure in the face of any future attempts to annex neighboring countries, such as: (Japan and Australia), as a threat to the national security of China and Taiwan as a similar case to the Russian affairs.

  China constantly responds that the recent developments of the Ukrainian crisis are closely related to Ukraine’s failure to implement the “Minsk II Agreement”, which was agreed upon, due to (the United States and its NATO allies support Ukraine in the face of Russia).

  As a clear understanding from the Chinese government and the ruling Communist Party leaders of the nature of the crisis in Ukraine and its link to the Taiwanese case of the Taiwan and global mobilization in the face of China, China follows a policy related to (either trying to support Russia clearly, or refraining from giving any opinion), for example when it included Russia and the President  “Putin” Crimea in 2014, China did not vote and did not use (the right of veto), like Russia, on the issuance of a UN Security Council resolution regarding that Russian move, and China chose at the time (to abstain from voting), and preferred it to provide economic support in full.  for the Russian side.

  In general, there are strong Chinese fears that (its interests in Europe are exposed to great danger, represented by the deterioration of China’s relations with the countries of the European Union, in addition, of course, to the American conflict front), and the same applies to the Chinese domestic front in the Taiwan case.

   China is also trying, with Russian help, to work on (setting a new definition of new global principles of democracy and human rights that fit their agendas), which is precisely what was stated in the (Sino-Russian Joint Declaration during the Beijing Winter Olympics), as a blatant challenge in the face of the United States of America and its allies, and transcends the crisis. The same Ukrainian crisis here, concerning the (joint statement) from Russia and China included many phrases that challenge the definitions of democracy and human rights in the American and Western concept, with accusations of the West and Washington of violating these principles for many years. This sparked strong European criticism against Beijing in the first place.

  Here, China actually considers that “the battle of Ukraine is a battle for the existence of the international system that was established on the ruins of the former Soviet Union”. Therefore, without any exaggeration, it is a Chinese battle par excellence, and puts China against Taiwan with the aim of igniting a conflict between the two parties in favor of Washington and its allies in the “NATO” alliance, which is realized by both the Chinese government and the Taiwan government itself, as stated by the Taiwanese Prime Minister “Ing-Wen Cai”.

   China’s view is that the United States of America and its allies are promoting propaganda regarding the “China’s exploitation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine to launch a war against Taiwan, to mobilize the whole world against China and Russia together”, which China has denied and is constantly trying to deny to the Taiwanese people at the present time until the Russian preoccupation with the crisis of its conflict with Ukraine is not being exploited by opening other fronts of internal conflict, mainly between China and Taiwan.

  Perhaps the only point from my point of view, that China plays on the Ukrainian crisis, is “the lack of direct Chinese support and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries”, and China is trying to circumvent the “policy of economic sanctions against Russia”, which is understood specifically after the announcement of the United States of America and its allies in the West imposed economic and financial sanctions against Russia, due to the recognition of the independence of the separatist regions of “Donetsk and Luhansk”, and before the invasion began, China faced a storm of Western and American questions, regarding: whether Beijing would impose sanctions on Moscow?, But the Chinese response here was quite direct and clear and was attended by Beijing, certainly that:

  “China opposes any unilateral sanctions against Russia, as for those questions whether China will impose sanctions on Russia or not? It is clear that whoever writes, analyzes or utters these questions and inquiries hardly understands the Chinese government’s policy enough, because China always opposes unilateral illegal sanctions, which is exactly what China has in the Russian case”

  At the present time, and through my follow-up to the analyzes of all Chinese think tanks, there is a general trend and line in Chinese policy, based on “the Chinese mobilization in rejecting any sanctions against its Russian ally”. We find here that all Chinese analyzes are attacking the US sanctions policy, with the justification that since 2011, the United States of America has begun a policy of imposing sanctions on Russia more than 100 times, but the Chinese policy is more rational and rational, because when thinking calmly or discussing the matter, we will definitely reach  For China’s confirmed view (for the failure of all US policies to impose sanctions on its opponents around the world).

  We will also find that (the Chinese political discourse has become unified on both the internal and external fronts, by asking the logical Chinese question: whether the policy of unilateral US sanctions has solved the problem or any other crisis with Russia or even others such as Iran and North Korea?), then the Chinese questions started, regarding:Did the unilateral US sanctions policy able to change the behavior of Russia or the behavior of other sanctioned powers and countries?

-Did the unilateral US sanctions policy able to change the behavior of Russia or the behavior of other sanctioned powers and countries?

-Has the world changed for the better because of the US sanctions policy?

-Will the US economic sanctions policy, and others, solve all those problems inherited in Ukraine due to the imposition of a few economic or financial sanctions against Russia?

-Finally, will security in Europe and the world become more reliable and stronger because of US sanctions against Russia and others?

By understanding this Chinese proposition and analysis, we will come to the conclusion that, in general, the Chinese think tanks and the Chinese diplomacy themselves express the importance that all parties concerned seriously consider the issue of economic sanctions, by (making international and regional efforts to solve the Ukrainian issue through the policy of dialogue and consultations  and not imposing sanctions), given that China’s position on the Ukrainian issue is consistent and does not change, and China’s position on this issue is consistent with its long-standing position that it should strengthen dialogue and consultation to solve regional hotspot issues. China, in particular, assures the Taiwanese in the face of the war of rumors to divide them in its confrontation, that (there is still hope for a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian crisis), despite the continuous escalation of Russian tensions in its confrontation.

Dr.Nadia Helmy
Dr.Nadia Helmy
Associate Professor of Political Science, Faculty of Politics and Economics / Beni Suef University- Egypt. An Expert in Chinese Politics, Sino-Israeli relationships, and Asian affairs- Visiting Senior Researcher at the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)/ Lund University, Sweden- Director of the South and East Asia Studies Unit