As House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is preparing to host Taiwan president Tsai Ing-Wen today, Chinese state-run media was quick to denounce the visit. The CCP media has used the visit as a mechanism to question Tsai’s mandate to govern the island, to drum up support for “compatriots” in Taiwan that are loyal to China, to make not-so-veiled threats of using military force to occupy Taiwan, and to say that increased tensions with the island are the US’ fault.

CCP Media Undermines Tsai’s Mandate to Govern Taiwan

Chinese state-run media seeks to discredit President Tsai as the legitimate leader of Taiwan. Tsai “is not really representative of the people of Taiwan,” but is instead “representative of Wall Street and American companies…” as cited by a US “anti-war activist” in the Global Times. Tsai is “selling war to the United States,” and “exposing her true intention of sacrificing people’s interests, even lives, to please her US bosses,” according to China Daily.

The CCP press is claiming that Tsai’s unpopularity (according to some not-so-recent polling numbers) is due to her stance on Taiwan’s independence from China and her relationship with the United States. Tsai is dealing with “the increasing vigilance and opposition from the residents within the island against her pursuit of independence with US support,” according to Global Times. According to Xinhua, protests in Taiwan are accusing Tsai’s political party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), of “collusion” with the US, and that the party “had betrayed Taiwan and are tantamount to making themselves enemies of Taiwan people.”

CCP Media Claims that Taiwan’s “Compatriots” Will be Rewarded After “Reunification”

China’s press stresses that “compatriots,” a term meaning those in Taiwan loyal to China, are welcome in China, and will be rewarded in future “reunification” with the mainland. In fact, the head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office claimed that “Taiwan compatriots are welcome in the mainland for exchanges and cooperation, and the mainland would continue to improve institutions and policies to enhance the well-being of Taiwan compatriots,” as cited by Global Times. Another representative of the Taiwan Affairs Office stressed that after “reunification,” with China, the “private property, religious beliefs, and lawful rights and interests of Taiwan compatriots will be fully protected.” These quotes demonstrate that China is seeking to establish a fifth column within Taiwan.

CCP Media Threatens Chinese Invasion of Taiwan

China’s state-run media continues to issue threats towards Taiwan, and some are more veiled than others. “China will take firm measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, as cited by Global Times. The article, citing “Chinese analysts,” further says that “it’s totally right and legitimate for the People’s Liberation Army to take any action around the island of Taiwan in response to the provocations made by the Taiwan authorities and any US encouragement to Taiwan secessionist forces…China is able to crack down on any threat to the Taiwan question by force if necessary.” Taiwan is a “red line” issue that “must not be crossed,” according to China’s foreign ministry as cited by Xinhua.  China “will take resolute countermeasures,” and while “[t]he form and degree of the counterattack will depend on the specific circumstances,” “the initiative is in our own hands,” according to Global Times.

CCP Media Claims US is Manipulating Tsai’s Visit to Undermine China

The CCP media is also claiming that the US is using President Tsai’s visit to undermine China. The “Biden administration is now encouraging Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen to provoke the Chinese mainland,” according to China Daily. The US is using Taiwan as “a cat’s paw against Beijing,” according to another China Daily article. The US is “…egregiously conniving at and supporting ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists,” according to the Chinese foreign ministry as cited by Xinhua. The US “uses the ‘Taiwan card’ to raise tensions across the Straits, in order to force the mainland to deplete its resources in restoring normalcy,” according to a third China Daily article.

The Chinese media is also claiming that the US (not China) is provoking Taiwan to war, so the United States will be responsible for destroying Taiwan (presumably when China defeats it). President Tsai’s political party, the DPP, is “merely a pawn on the US chessboard,” and the US’ providing arms to Taiwan is “essentially a ‘strategy of destroying Taiwan,’” according to Global Times.  “[A]nti-China forces in the US…aim [to use] the Taiwan question to contain China’s development and obstruct the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, even at the cost of destroying Taiwan,” according China’s Taiwan Affairs Office as cited by Global Times.

Chinese state-run media is continuing to push propaganda that threatens Taiwan and the United States. It pushes sovereignty on the island while undermining national security interests of the free world. While pushing an anti-Taiwan and anti-US narrative, China’s state-run media is continuing to deflect attention away from China’s aggressive actions towards Taiwan.