Will use Ukraine-model communication if China attacks: Taiwan

Taipei: Expecting an attack from China, Taiwan is following Ukraine's method of communicating its message to the international community, utilizing tools such as satellites and deploying humour, Reuters reports, citing the country's digital minister.

In August, China performed war games and blockade drills around Taiwan. This was after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the country. China staging the mentioned exercise had raised concerns that it may initiate an attack on Taiwan.

On Wednesday, minister Audrey Tang told Reuters that Taiwan is looking at the experience of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. The whole world can know what is happening in Ukraine in real time. Ukraine had effectively conveyed its message to the outer world with high-quality communication, which was crucial, the minister said.

"It's not only for our own people but also for the people who care about us all over the world so that we can enlist the assistance of international friends," Reuters quoted the minister.

China considers Taiwan as part of its own territory and has used force to bring it under Beijing's reins, while Taiwan strongly rejects China's supremacy.

Tang is planning to preserve the communication systems of Taiwan if China attacks and a satellite trial programme is one among them, worth 18 million dollars. The programme will ensure internet services across the country for the next two years.

Tang said that her country aims to maintain social stability and keep its command systems operational. For that, it will immediately switch to alternative forms of communication, utilizing satellites in the middle and lower orbits.

She added that many Taiwanese companies are in discussions with international satellite service providers for partnerships, but she didn't give details.

In the case of Ukraine, Kyiv has been using Elon Musk's Starlink satellite broadband service.

Using memes and humour, Tang crafted Taiwan's public messaging during the pandemic to fight misinformation. Taiwan's government had accused China of spreading most of it, though Beijing denied the same.

Tang said that they say publicly that their playbook is 'humour over humour.

Tang, a Twitter user with more than 250,000 followers, said that there were online attacks against her, calling her a separatist, but she never bothered.

Reuters reports that Chinese state media heavily use Twitter and other social media platforms of the West, though they are banned inside their country. Tang said that China is already using social media to campaign against Taiwan, adding that she is witnessing the same propaganda, various narratives etc., in her routine.