80 PERSPECTIVES ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS | VOL 43 | 2025 Behind much of this activity is the CCP’s United Front Work Department, which coordinates a global political strategy involving the cultivation of ties with influential figures, political parties, and community groups. In Taiwan, United Front operations target local leaders, such as village chiefs and grassroots organizations, often bringing them to China as a means of influence and coercion, encouraging support for pro-Beijing parties. To deepen its reach, United Front has also engaged in illegal financing schemes, covertly funneling money into political campaigns and organizations that align with Beijing’s goals. These combined tactics—soft power wrapped in covert influence—pose serious threats to Taiwan’s electoral integrity, democratic resilience, and political independence (Lai, 2024). In short, the PRC uses a wide range of approaches and tactics in Taiwan to make China look like a bigger, better, smarter choice of government. Yet within China, for their own citizens, the media, freedom of expression, the internet, and so much more are strictly guarded and limited. In contrast, according to the United Nations (n.d.), “democracy provides an environment for the protection and effective realization of human rights.” This principle underscores the importance of democratic systems in maintaining personal freedoms and ensuring the rights of each individual. Ongoing tensions in Taiwan challenge these values. China’s influence campaigns and incessant pressure not only undermine Taiwan’s self-determination and unique identity but also pose a broader threat to democratic principles and human rights globally. Taiwan’s successful resistance—so far—highlights the value of protecting democratic systems from external interference and authoritarian influence. To combat this cognitive warfare, Taiwan has enacted legal and civil society defenses. The Anti-Infiltration Act criminalizes foreign-directed political interference, including disinformation and financial inducements. Independent monitoring hubs, run by MyGoPen and other NGOs, detected and quickly flagged coordinated inauthentic behavior, leading to the banning of thousands of fake accounts across numerous social media platforms. Supported by the government, press briefings, fact-checking networks, and digital literacy campaigns helped inoculate the public against foreign disinformation. Identity-strengthening democratic participation The largest student movement in Taiwanese history, Wild Lily, marked a turning point in Taiwan’s democratic development. In March 1990, over 6000 students gathered at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial in Taipei, calling for democratic reforms. The protestors demanded direct presidential elections and the dissolution of the National Assembly. At the time, Taiwan was amidst political and social reforms following the lifting of martial law. The KMT retained a grip on political power and restricted civic participation and transparency. The nonviolent movement’s impact was monumental. President Lee Teng-hui met with the student representatives and ensured more oversight and public review of such deals presently and in the future, demonstrating how Taiwanese citizens could shape their government. Freedoms of speech, teaching, writing, and publication are enshrined in Chapter 2, Article 11 of Taiwan’s Constitution, which also includes the right to protest. Another student action, the Sunflower Movement of 2014, exemplified citizens expressing this right. It was triggered by the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (CSSTA) between Taiwan and China. The CSSTA would determine what Chinese corporations could do in Taiwan and vice versa. When President Ma Ying-jeou and Premier Jiang Zemin of the KMT attempted to enact the CSSTA without proper review, students and protesters took over the legislature building for 24 days, demanding transparency in cross-strait government dealings. Protestors were worried about Beijing’s increasing influence and its potential to undermine Taiwan’s independence. This movement gained support from academics, civil leaders, and the general public. So, what happened next? The Taiwanese government listened, promising a thorough review and delay of the trade agreement. By 2016, the CSSTA was considered politically dead. More importantly, the movement had lasting social implications beyond this specific trade agreement. It energized a new generation of politically aware activists committed to Taiwan’s democratic governance and government literacy. Without a strong shared identity embracing personal autonomy and sovereign independence, this movement and its result never would have come to fruition (Lin, 2024) Under Chinese rule, protests similar to the Sunflower Movement would not have been allowed. The CCP views freedom of speech as “a privilege, not a right” (Lin, 2024). When students protested in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the spring of 1989, the government responded with violence. Tanks and heavily armed troops ran over or opened fire on those who were getting in the way, killing at
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