Combating Beijing’s Sharp Power: Taiwan’s Democracy Under Fire

Issue Date July 2022
Volume 33
Issue 3
Page Numbers 144–157
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Taiwan, one of Asia’s fullest democracies, is the target of China’s most aggressive attempts to exert authoritarian influence. Chinese influence operations started to receive special attention by members of civil society and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) after the 2016 national election in Taiwan. China’s efforts to penetrate, coopt, and weaken Taiwan’s political institutions, society, election integrity, and civic organizations have constituted a major aspect of its overall strategy toward Taiwan. This essay aims to identify influence operations used by the Chinese Communist Party against Taiwan, and to elucidate the responses from Taiwan’s robust and vibrant civil society to defend its democracy.

About the Author

Ketty W. Chen is vice-president of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and a member of the board of the Prospect Foundation. She also serves on the advisory board of the National Bureau of Asian Research, and was acting director of international affairs for the Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan from May 2014 to May 2016

View all work by Ketty W. Chen

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