MOFA urges public to discern misinformation amid claims that Biden will ‘destroy Taiwan’

2023-02-22

On Tuesday evening, former KMT lawmaker Alex Tsai appeared on local TV, saying that a top radio talk show host in the U.S. claimed that the White House has plans to destroy Taiwan. In response, both the premier and the foreign ministry urged the public to be careful of those with vested interests in China, who often release U.S.-skeptic misinformation to undermine Taiwan-U.S. relations.

Alex Tsai
Former lawmaker
Lai Ching-te said that the U.S. is not to be doubted, that U.S.-skepticism harms Taiwan’s security. But here we have a U.S. skeptic who happens to be the top radio talk show host in Washington.

Chen Chien-jen
Premier
Don’t fall for the fake news. Understand that one must carefully discern misinformation like this one, and not believe it so easily. I believe Taiwan-U.S. relations have never been better. We must be confident.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Premier Chen Chien-jen urged the public not to fall for Tsai’s claim. On the same day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement, saying that the tweet had not been fact-checked and was in no way factual. The statement also criticized those with vested interests for stoking U.S.-skepticism and anti-U.S. rhetoric, playing second fiddle to China’s psychological warfare on Taiwan and undermining Taiwan’s partnership with the U.S. A scholar criticized Tsai’s misleading translation of Nixon’s tweet, and was skeptical of Tsai’s motive.

Wang Chih-sheng
Association of Chinese Elite Leadership
Personally, I believe if you look at the syntax, it’s more like what the U.S. plans to do to prevent the destruction of Taiwan. Tsai is quoting out of context and coming up with a misleading translation to threaten the Taiwanese people and undermine Taiwan-U.S. relations.

Professor Wang said Tsai’s quoting of the tweet as Taiwan and U.S. officials are slated for closed-door talks in Washington was a tactic to undermine Taiwan’s ever-closer partnership with the U.S.

蔡正元引述推文指拜登脫口有"毀滅台灣計畫"

2023-02-22

前立委蔡正元表示引述美國廣播主持人嘉蘭尼克森的推文透露，聲稱拜登說有毀滅台灣的計畫。不過行政院長陳建仁今天強調，台美關係史上最好，不要聽信謠言。外交部更痛批，有心人刻意放大疑美論，與中國認知作戰相呼應。學者翻譯嘉蘭尼克森的推文也說，其實拜登講的是"有阻止台灣被摧毀的計畫"，而不是摧毀台灣的計畫。

聳動的言論，前立委蔡正元上節目，爆料白宮有毀滅台灣計畫，聲稱消息來源是美國華府廣播節目著名主持人嘉蘭尼克森的推文，蔡正元翻譯，白宮內線消息透露，當被問到有什麼比新保守烏克蘭方案更具災難性的？拜登回答，等一下當你看到我們"毀滅台灣"的計畫就知道。

[[前立委蔡正元]]
“賴清德，你說不要懷疑美國、不可以疑美論，疑美論有害台灣的安全，第一個疑美的是美國華府頭號廣播主持人喔。”

[[行政院長陳建仁]]
“這些不實的報導，請大家不要輕信謠言，而且要了解這些假訊息是需要經過理智的判斷，不要輕信。我想台美關係到現在都是史上最好，我們要有信心。”

行政院長澄清，外交部也發出新聞稿駁斥，該消息來源完全未經查證，絕非事實。甚至批評國內有心人士刻意放大疑美論、反美論，與中國對台進行的認知戰相互呼應"，企圖破壞台美夥伴關係。學者找出嘉蘭尼克森的原文細看，也質疑蔡正元動機可議。

[[中華亞太菁英交流協會秘書長王智盛]]
“我個人認為是從英文語法來看，更像是為了要阻止台灣被摧毀所準備的計畫，你用斷章取義，而且用這種便宜行事的英文翻譯方式，試圖要恐嚇台灣人民、動搖台美關係。”

一篇上禮拜的推文，突然被大做文章，就在台美國安高層會談正在美國登場的同時，讓學者不得不聯想，就是要搞破壞。