Beijing Talks Between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou A Strategy to Use Chinese Public Opinion on Taiwan | List of Articles | International News Network Analysis

On April 10, 2024, Prime Minister Kishida visited the United States to hold the Japan-US Summit with President Biden. Partly because of the attention paid to the summit, talks held the same day between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou, the former president of Taiwan then visiting Beijing, remained largely ignored in the media. Japanese. The talks between President Xi and former President Ma have been variously characterized as a choreographed performance of reconciliation between China and Taiwan and an attempt to contain the impact of the Japan-U.S. summit held the same day and the upcoming inauguration of the President Lai Ching. see you on May 20.[1]

This article will examine how Chinese authorities reported on the negotiations between Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou in China and examine their strategy to use Chinese public opinion on the Taiwan issue and the impact of this strategy on Japan.

The media reported President Xi Jinping's speech

Xinhua News Agency is China's national news agency, under the direct control of the State Council. Its main mission is to faithfully fulfill its responsibility as the spokesperson, eyes, ears and think tank of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), always promoting and reporting the thoughts and image of the General Secretary of the CPC, Xi Jinping.[2] On April 11, the day after the talks between Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou, the Xinhua News Agency published an article in the Chinese-language edition entitled General Secretary Xi Jinping's opening speech points to the right direction of cross-strait relations and encourages compatriots on both sides of the strait to work together to create a bright future.[3]

The essence of the article was to present, like the words of the Taiwan people, a repeated expression of the great history of the Chinese people, the goodwill of mainland China towards Taiwan, the development of the mainland and the attitude that Taiwan independence goes against the correct flow of history. This was done by asking Taiwanese university students who accompanied Ma Ying-jeou during his mainland visit and Taiwanese students studying at universities in China to recount their impressions of President Xi Jinping's speech. With additional quotes from Chinese Taiwan scholars and Taiwanese party leaders, the article was structured as if the words of these Taiwanese students actually represented Taiwan's mainstream public opinion.

Popular perception in Taiwan, as reported by two party leaders

Using comments from university professors and other experts to reinforce the objectivity of personal opinion is a practice often seen in Japanese media, to present this opinion as the common perception of a social majority or the general public. The Xinhua news agency article uses a similar technique. However, in this case, it is important to note the background of the experts proposed to comment on the popular perception in Taiwanese society: Wu Rong-yuan, chairman of the Taiwan Labor Party, and Qi Jialin, chairman of the Alliance for Reunification of China.

China has eight political parties in addition to the CCP, including the Chinese Kuomintang Revolutionary Committee (or KMT Revolutionary Committee).[4] and the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League.[5] These small political parties can be called non-opposition or satellite parties of the CCP. They participate in the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference under the leadership of the CCP.[6] Therefore, to the general public on the Chinese mainland, who have no particular knowledge of Taiwanese affairs, the two parties represented in the Xinhua news agency article may appear as if they were non-opposition parties aligned with the Taiwanese government authorities: the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) or perhaps the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). At least, given the general perceptions within mainland Chinese society, the statements of these party leaders could be seen as a reflection of the will of the Taiwanese government authorities. To Chinese nationals familiar with Taiwanese affairs and its confusing assortment of political parties, the DPP, the KMT, the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), etc., these would be seen as the views of a political force that, while presenting a different perspective from that of the ruling DPP, still enjoys a degree of support, albeit a minority one, within Taiwanese society: something akin to an opposition party.

However, these two party leaders are certainly not considered representatives of Taiwanese society within the society itself. Neither political party has material influence on Taiwanese politics. In fact, in the Legislative Yuan elections held concurrently with the January 2024 presidential election, not a single member of the Legislative Yuan was elected, either from the Taiwan Workers' Party or the Alliance for the Reunification of China.[7] Even below the Legislative Yuan, the national parliament, these two political parties have virtually no influence in terms of electing local government heads or members of regional legislatures. The only member who could be confirmed was a member of the Hsinchu County legislature from the Taiwan Labor Party.[8] Neither party has an official Internet home page.[9] The way the article presents the statements of these representatives of political groups that are supposed to be political parties but have virtually no popular support, as if they were speaking on behalf of the Taiwanese people, is clearly propaganda. Such articles use the classic techniques of opinion warfare and psychological warfare against readers in China.

Security risks created by Chinese propaganda against its own people

There is a huge gap between the reality of Taiwan as presented to the people by the Chinese authorities through state-controlled media, such as its national news agency, and the reality of Taiwan. It is quite obvious that Ma Ying-jeou, the former president of Taiwan, no longer enjoys the support of many KMT supporters, let alone the majority of Taiwanese society. For example, on the eve of the presidential election, Ma said in an interview with German media that we should trust President Xi Jinping. Only recently have presidential candidates, not only from the DPP and TPP, but also from the KMT that Ma himself supports, all expressed their opposition to Ma's remarks.[10]

Chinese authorities have reported the results of Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections, saying the election results prove that the DPP does not represent mainstream public opinion in Taiwan.[11] However, it is not uncommon in Japan, the United States, and other democratic societies for the president or leader of a political party to be at odds with the dominant party in parliament. It is more appropriate to view the results of the recent Taiwanese elections as a decision by the Taiwanese people to maintain the status quo: a rejection of both independence and unification with China. This is completely different from the image of Taiwan that the Chinese authorities seek to present to the Chinese people.

A cognitive gap has been created between Taiwan in the eyes of the Chinese people and Taiwan in reality, through propaganda operations like these carried out by the Chinese authorities. This discrepancy gives rise to a misconception among the Chinese population that the more Chinese authorities insist on their point of view, the closer the day of reunification with Taiwan comes. When the Chinese people realize the extent of this cognitive gap and that their expectations for unification have been betrayed, will most of their anger be directed towards Taiwan or against the Chinese authorities? Either outcome would clearly threaten not only Japan's national security, but also the peace and stability of the international community.

(2024/6/28)