Taipei, April 7 – China is prepared to intervene in Taiwan's upcoming "nine-in-one" local elections, scheduled for November, by launching attacks on the Taiwanese Government Service Network (GSN), local media reported on Tuesday, citing a recent report released by the National Security Bureau.
The report was submitted to the Legislative Yuan before the bureau's scheduled briefing at the Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee last week, according to Taipei Times, Taiwan's leading daily.
The report details China's cognitive warfare against Taiwan, stating that the national security team has identified approximately 13,000 suspicious internet accounts and 860,000 disputed messages.
In the report, the bureau states that the disputed messages focus on major foreign affairs, national defense, and economic issues, and were created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and disseminated through Chinese state media, internet trolls, suspicious accounts, and content farms.
The bureau stated that the GSN was attacked over 173.28 million times during the first quarter of 2026, adding that these actions could be part of Chinese interference in the "nine-in-one" elections. They were created for intelligence gathering, surveillance, and data theft purposes.
"For the elections at the end of this year, China is expected to intervene by adopting a hybrid approach, including spreading disputed content using AI-powered deepfake technology, publishing false public opinion surveys, and setting up illegal betting rings," the bureau said.
It also mentioned that Beijing will likely try to influence election results by inviting tour groups to China, paying for their travel expenses, and buying agricultural products from pro-China cities or counties. According to the report, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's airspace more than 420 times during the first quarter of 2026, Taipei Times reported.
The bureau stated that these actions were coordinated with Chinese naval vessels to carry out 10 "joint combat readiness patrols" and were aimed at testing operational capabilities against Taiwan through periodic drills.
According to the report, Chinese Coast Guard vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters around Kinmen County 44 times in 2025 and 12 times in the first quarter. During these operations, the vessels intentionally turned off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) to test Taiwan's surveillance and response capabilities, according to the bureau.