The fear of cognitive warfare from China has frightened Taiwan and the global community. Taiwan’s Justice Investigative bureau‘s accusation against China of indulging in cognitive warfare during military drills is the most frightening development in recent times. It has brought a focus on Beijing’s dangerous tactics and motives.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently launched military drills code-named “Joint Sword-2024B” involving its army, navy, air and rocket forces in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan. The bureau in its report claimed that it had found several false reports online, such as untrue assertions of Taiwan’s military failing to respond quickly and that ships carrying liquefied natural gas had been forced to turn around.
The allegations of cognitive warfare against China are not new. According to available information, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been using virtual reality (VR) simulated technology in military training to strengthen cognitive thinking and physical training of its soldiers. One of the most advanced non-kinetic form of warfare in the 21st century, cognitive warfare can be initiated from any part of the world by means of digital platforms. China has been investing heavily in the development of AI-related technologies to support cognitive operations. The messages formed “cognitive manipulation” by “overseas hacking armies,” who hacked social media pages, the bureau said in a statement, without directly blaming China. However, the bureau has reminded the public to secure their social media accounts and verify information online to avoid falling victim to cognitive manipulation. In another report, the National Security Bureau stated that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has stepped up measures to increase pressure on Taiwan and sow internal division since President William Lai’s inauguration ceremony on May 20, reported Teipei Times.
The bureau has flagged social media platforms, particularly Weibo and Bilibili, for becoming important platforms to influence, guide and even induce and manipulate domestic public opinion and public sentiment among the youth of China. Other analysts flagged the dangers associated with the ‘Weaponization of Think Tanks’.
An old article in the PLA daily explained the consequences of cognitive warfare stating that it is a conflict in the cognitive domain formed from human consciousness and thoughts, which is believed to shape reality in a way favourable to China by influencing human judgment, changing ideas, and influencing the human mind through selective processing and propagation of information. The sole purpose is to gain an advantage in war by influencing the perceptions of civilians, military personnel and political leaders who are targeted through various means such as dissemination of disinformation and cyber attacks, causing social confusion, reduced motivation to fight, military demoralization, and – among political leaders – reduced judgment.
The methods used for Cognitive warfare are propaganda through radio broadcasts and deception through the dissemination of disinformation. The most worrying is that PLA has been using developments in technology to enhance its effectiveness. The first development was the global expansion of the internet and the rapid spread of social media. The latter in particular has made it possible to instantly distribute large volumes of tampered or biased information among a very large number of targets, creating the infrastructure for effective cognitive warfare.
The second development was the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence. Using AI, it is now possible to create extremely elaborate fake videos known as deep fakes. Improving AI translation capabilities could also overcome language barriers and increase the effectiveness of cognitive warfare against countries that use other languages.
Meanwhile an article in the Diplomat reported there is a growing expectation in the PLA to use these technologies to have an edge with cognitive warfare. This could mean avoiding physical combat, where property and human damage.
The `win without fighting’ has certain limitations. However, a war can be won only by combining operations in the cognitive, physical, and information domains. Thus, China aims to secure ascendancy in peacetime and victory in wartime. Already, it is simultaneously conducting operations in these three domains against Taiwan, reported the Diplomat. When Taiwan was in the midst of its presidential and legislative elections, China had spread fake images on social media purporting to show the candidate for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) involved in a scandal. It also indirectly supported the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which advocates easing tensions with China, by conducting military exercises in the sea and airspace around Taiwan and flying military balloons over the island. Several attempts were made to influence the election in the information domain, such as hacking routers and posting false information on social media.
But poll results were not on the expected lines for China. Yet experts said that China is likely to continue its efforts. Further technological advances may dramatically increase the effectiveness of cognitive warfare.
Experts expressed fear that China may use brain machine interface (BMI) technology, which connects the human cerebrum to devices, to its advantage. In China, patients with limb paralysis have been able to use BMI technology to move on-screen cursors and pneumatic gloves. Continued developments in BMI technology may make it possible to influence the cerebrum of a target person from an external device and control their thoughts.
The bureau report stated that China is using multiple strategies to tighten its noose around Taiwan like “squeezing” Taiwanese farmers by weaponizing the economy and highlighting that selling agricultural produce to China pays better, the report said. Diplomatically, China is stepping up efforts to malign and distort UN Resolution 2758 and emphasize that it is the only legitimate government of China to deter Taiwan’s participation in international bodies, it added. The CCP has issued “22 guidelines” designed to punish “die-hard” Taiwanese separatists, hoping to suppress any mention of Taiwanese independence, the report said. The Diplomat reported that China has dangerous plans to deploy cognitive warfare techniques not only in times of war, but also in peacetime. However, countries like Taiwan and democracies must remain vigilant against attempts to promote social division and destabilize politics, developing systems and technologies to counter any such attacks.