China has "very diverse" ways of interfering in Taiwan's elections set for January — from military pressure to spreading fake news, including manipulating opinion polls — a senior Taiwanese security official said Wednesday.
Ahead of elections, Taiwan routinely flags the risk of interference from Beijing — which claims the democratically governed island as its own — saying that China seeks to sway the outcome to benefit candidates who may be more favorable toward the country.
"The way the Chinese communists interfere in elections is very diversified," Taiwan National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen told lawmakers during a parliamentary committee session.