中國銳實力的影響與反思—台灣之個案研究分析 - 政大學術集成

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(1)International Master’s Program in International Studies National Chengchi University 國立政治大學國際研究英語碩士學位學程. 立. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學. ‧. China’s Sharp Power Influences: A Case Study of Taiwan. n. al. er. io. sit. y. Nat. 中國銳實力的影響與反思—台灣之個案研究分析. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. CIOU, YIDA 邱奕達 Advisor: Dr. Chienwu Hsueh 薛健吾. January 2020. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(2) Table of Content Chapter 1 Introduction..................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Research Motivation ................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Research Background ............................................................................................... 3 1.3 Research Objectives ................................................................................................. 6 1.4 In Chapter 4, I will explore China’s sharp power operation in Taiwan. .................. 8 1.5 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 8 1.4.1 Research Method .............................................................................................. 8 1.4.2 Case Selection ................................................................................................ 10. 政治大. 1.5 Literature Review ................................................................................................... 11 1.5.1 Global Accusation Against China’s Sharp Power .......................................... 12 1.5.2 The Response of the Chinese Communist Party ............................................ 22. 立. ‧ 國. 學. Chapter 2 What’s the Difference between “Sharp Power” and Other Powers? ...... 35 2.1 Hard Power ............................................................................................................. 37 2.2 Soft Power .............................................................................................................. 40. ‧. 2.3 Smart Power ........................................................................................................... 42 2.4 Sharp Power ........................................................................................................... 45. y. Nat. sit. 2.5 What are the “Decisive Factors” between Sharp Power and Other Powers?......... 50. al. er. io. 2.6 Theoretical Deficiency of Sharp Power ................................................................. 59. n. 2.7 Conclusion.............................................................................................................. 61. Ch. i n U. v. Chapter 3 Is United Front Sharp Power?..................................................................... 69. engchi. 3.1 What is United Front Work? .................................................................................. 70 3.2 United Front Work’s Course of Action .................................................................. 76 3.3 Similarity and Difference between Sharp Power and United Front? ..................... 87 Chapter 4 A Case Study of Taiwan ............................................................................. 101 4.1 Sharp Power and the United Front work in Taiwan ............................................. 104 4.2 The CCP Used Disinformation Interfering Taiwan’s 9-in-1 Election in 2018 .... 116 4.3 The CCP Used the Right to Work Influencing Taiwan’s Public Opinion ........... 127 4.4 Analyzing the Effects ........................................................................................... 136 Chapter 5 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 147 References ...................................................................................................................... 158. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(3) Appendix 1 News Concerning Sharp Power .............................................................. 172. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(4) List of Tables Table 1 Integration of Chinese Sharp Power Behaviors ................................................... 32 Table 2 Decisive Factors between Sharp Power and Other Powers ................................. 37 Table 3 Four Types of Power............................................................................................ 49 Table 4 Classification of Powers on Two Dimensions ..................................................... 55 Table 5 Comparison between Sharp Power and the United Front Work .......................... 98 Table 6 News Concerning Sharp power and the United Front work in Taiwan ............. 107. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(5) List of Figures Figure 1 United Front Work Department Organization .................................................... 74 Figure 2 Implication and Objective of the “Three Warfares” ......................................... 103 Figure 3 Results of 2018 9-in-1 Local Election (2018/11/26) ........................................ 138 Figure 4 Poll Data in the Kaohsiung Mayor Election between August and November 2018 (2019/6/26) ............................................................................................................. 139 Figure 5 Tendency of the 2020 Taiwan Presidential Election (2019/12/30) .................. 140 Figure 6 Results of 2020 Taiwan Presidential Election .................................................. 141 Figure 7 Changes in the Taiwanese/Chinese Identity of Taiwanese (2019/07/10) ........ 143. 政治大. Figure 8 Independence Stance of Taiwanese (2019/07/10) ............................................ 144. 立. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(6) Abstract China’s sharp power influences has aroused heated discussion in the recent years, however, there is no systematic research in the academics. This study intends to explore three issues related to sharp power: first, how is sharp power different from hard power, soft power, and smart power; Second, how is sharp power different from United Front tactics; Third, what are the specific impacts of sharp power in Taiwan. The study finds that: (1) The difference between China’s sharp power, and soft power lies in the fact that the. 治政 measures adopted are non-mandatory but active attribute and 大the process of de-legitimation 立 to weaken legitimacy of others; (2) China’s sharp power is a part of United Front work. previous one comes from a totalitarian regime, the degree of civil society is restrained, the. ‧ 國. 學. Both intend to achieve the purpose of attracting fellow travelers and strengthening social. ‧. opposition through infiltration, co-option, and coercion. However, there are some concentrating difference in the appealing target and the implementing measures; (3) The. y. Nat. io. sit. impact of China’s sharp power in Taiwan, from the cases of 2018 and 2020 election, and. n. al. er. use the right to work to coerce political expression, has not achieved the improvement and. Ch. i n U. v. positive perception of Taiwanese about China. This shows the maturity and resilience of. engchi. Taiwan’s democratic system is capable of counteract the sharp power attacks from the CCP. However, the purpose of CCP’s United Front against Taiwan is not merely to change political position, but to deal with two issues. First, Chinese people’s perception about the CCP; Second, to arouse people with the same political stance in Taiwan, at the same time strengthen the existing social opposition, division, create fears within Taiwan. Particularly, after the 2018 9-in-1 election, Taiwan’s social confrontation has become more serious, so-. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(7) called political polarization. From this perspective, the CCP’s sharp power strategy against Taiwan has been relatively successful.. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(8) 摘要中國銳實力近年來是非常熱門的議題，但目前的學術尚未有系統性的研究。本研究欲探討三個與銳實力有關的問題：第一，銳實力與硬實力、軟實力與巧實力有何不同；第二，銳實力與統戰有何不同；第三，銳實力對臺灣的具體影響是什麽。本文發現：（一）區分中國銳實力與硬實力、軟實力的不同在於，輸出的國家為極權政體、公民社會的開放程度、採取的手段是非強制但卻積極的屬性、與削弱他國合法性的過程；（二）中國的銳實力是統戰的一部分，雖然兩者部分都是透過滲. 政治大. 透、籠絡、強迫的手段，來達到拉攏同路人與強化對立的目的。然而，主要的訴諸. 立. 對象不同，操作的風格也不同。中國銳實力主要訴諸對象為外國資本主義勢力（對. ‧ 國. 學. 外），統戰的主要訴諸對象為中國人，包含香港、澳門、臺灣與海外華僑等中國共. ‧. 產黨認知的所有中國利益所在（對內）。而銳實力主要透過滲透、利誘、脅迫的方. sit. y. Nat. 式使對方自我審查，而統戰主要是利用種族、文化、政治與經濟上的連帶關係，動. n. al. er. io. 員情感使其自願倡導有利於中共的聲音，以藉此影響他國政府；（三）中國銳實力. i n U. v. 對臺灣的具體影響，以 2018、2020 利用假消息影響選舉結果，與利用工作權脅迫. Ch. engchi. 表態政治立場來看，並沒有達到改變臺灣民眾對於中國觀感的改善與正面認同，這顯示出了臺灣民主制度的成熟與彈性，能夠對抗中國共產黨的銳實力攻擊。然而，中共對臺統戰的目的並非僅是改變政治立場，而是為了處理兩個問題。第一，中國境內人民對中國共產黨的觀感；第二，喚起臺灣相同政治立場的人表態，同時強化原本既有的社會對立、強化分裂、製造恐慌與引導社會爭議議題的走向。特別是在 2018 年九合一選舉之後，臺灣社會對立情況更為嚴重，形成明顯的政治兩極化，從這個層面來看，中共的銳實力攻擊策略則相對成功。. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(9) Chapter 1 Introduction. 1.1 Research Motivation This research is motivated by the cases of China’s influences in the democratic countries as regard to buying elites, scholars, soldiers, and media to subvert narratives and to mold favorable attitudes for China. On December 5, 2017, National Endowment for Democracy published a report, Sharp Power: Rising Authoritarian Influence in the. 治政 small Eastern European countries at the media, economic大 academic and culture levels. On 立 Democratic World which detailed elaborating on how China nibbling Latin America and. December 14, 2017, the Economist (2017a, p.9; 2017b, pp.17-19) later described the. ‧ 國. 學. growing international influence of China’s “sharp power”, primarily referring to China’s. ‧. various practices such as bribing and coaxing, manipulating the direction of public opinion and controlling the policy decision of various countries. Such as interfering the U.S.,. y. Nat. er. io. sit. Australia and Germany’s media, economy, cultural, politics and academic fields.. al. iv n C of democracies around the world. Since h ethennewly h i U“The Regulations on the Political g crevised n. Simultaneously, similar forms of Chinese sharp power are visible in a growing number. Work of the People’s Liberation Army” 《中國人民解放軍政治工作條例》in 2003, the “Three Warfares” ( 三戰 ), Media, Psychological and Legal strategies have been incorporated into the United Front emphasis, and the CCP’s United Front tactics on Taiwan has gradually transformed from military battle into heart battle (《三國志·蜀書·馬謖傳》：攻心為上，攻城為下，心戰為上，兵戰為下). It focusing on the collapse of Taiwan’s political power in a “non-military” manner, with a view to achieving the goal of “peaceful. 1. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(10) reunification of Taiwan” （曾于蓁， 2019 ） 1 . As reported by Bowe (2018, p.2), “President Xi has placed a greater emphasis on United Front work since assuming office in 2012, describing it as important for the ‘whole [Chinese Communist] Party’ and elevating its role within China’s broader foreign policy”. Along with the rapidly raised popularity of the Internet and social media, Xi Jinping took the advantages of the characteristics of the new media- Viral spread and concealment, which produced a more organized and flexible strategy to Taiwan.. 政治大. It is worth noting that when the mayor election of Taiwan in 2018, there have been. 立. inklings of CCP trying to interfere in the election with “Fake News” (refer to Table 6). The. ‧ 國. 學. V-Dem program hosted by the University of Gothenburg in Sweden has released the annual database. Among the “Digital Society Project” units, there is a variable that investigates. ‧. the extent to which countries around the world have suffered from foreign information. sit. y. Nat. attacks. The original research question is “How routinely do foreign governments and their. er. io. agents use social media to disseminate misleading viewpoints or false information to. al. iv n C htoe0,nthegmore indicator ranges from 0 to 4, the closer i U the impact. Taiwan score 0.26, c h severe n. influence domestic politics in this country?” (Valeriya, Dan, Brigitte, & Steven, 2019). The. ranking as the first place, which is the country suffered the most false-information in the world. This revealing that CCP’s “literary attack” against Taiwan has entered a stage of intense heat. After the release of the “5-Points Proposal” (習五條 ) that Xi Jinping put forth concerning Taiwan, it can be observed that the CCP is more actively strengthen its “Three. 1. For readers’ convenience, the Chinese materials cited in the text are presented in Chinese citation form throughout the thesis.. 2. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(11) Warfares” toward Taiwan. For the first time it has been proposed that to achieve peaceful unification, “a plan of one country, two systems for Taiwan” will be explored. It signifies that Beijing has already studied and formulated steps towards reunification and will no longer postpone tackling the Taiwan issue. On the one hand, through the media, Internet and “specific person” (be known as CCP’s agent) more seriously diverging and infiltrating the trend of public opinion in Taiwan. On the other hand, by means of economic and trade, culture and academic exchanges to conceal CCP’s United Front tactic, simultaneously. 治政 Different from the “soft power” practice recognized大 by the international community, 立. shape the image of Taiwan ruling party “refuse to negotiate”.. the influence of “sharp power” is subversive and pervasive, which can weaken the. ‧ 國. 學. sovereignty of other countries. It is an “asymmetric warfare” in which authoritarian state. ‧. take the advantages of the democratic country’s open and freedom to projecting interference domestically. With the CCP’s increasingly high-profile publicity, the. y. Nat. n. al. er. io. 1.2 Research Background. sit. countries have begun to be vigilant and position the CCP as a threatening “foreign force”.. Ch. i n U. v. China’s sharp Power has caused a heated discussion among the world recently.. engchi. December 5, 2017, National Endowment for Democracy published a report Sharp Power: Rising Authoritarian Influence, which focuses on how China and Russia have furtively affected Latin America countries (Peru, Argentina) and Eastern European countries (Poland, Slovakia). According to the report, sharp power refers to the practice of authoritarian regime (China and Russia) to expand their influence to a targeted country through penetrating, subversion, stealth, and traversing its political and information environment. Sharp power does not publicly suppress others like military force, nor does. 3. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(12) it mean to attract the same value as cultural exchange, as if a Trojan horse, secretly undermining the domestic political economy environment. As you may ask, what is wrong with the CCP’s huge investment in foreign propaganda work, Grand Overseas Propaganda Campaign (大外宣) since every country is engaging in the same business? Foreign propaganda work is also called soft power initially. All countries are striving to manage and of course they have invested great amount of capital. For instance, the Korean film and television industry, which is marketed globally, it has. 政治大 advertisement. Yet, what is inappropriate with the CCP’s Grand Overseas Propaganda 立 also been regarded as a model for the country to invest in cultural innovation and. ‧ 國. culture?. 學. Campaign, such as the Confucius Institute’s promotion of language education and Chinese. ‧. On August 19, 2013, Xi Jinping attended and made an important speech at the National. sit. y. Nat. Propaganda and Ideology Work Conference in Beijing. The Spirit of the Comrade of his. io. al. er. speech indicated that it is important to compete for the right to speak internationally:. n. We must meticulously do foreign propaganda work well. Following our country’s economic and social development… there are still quite a few misunderstandings about us, the “China Threat Theory”, the “China Collapse Theory” and other such theories linger in one’s ears… But, the West still “slights” China. In the international public opinion structure, the West is strong and we are weak, Western major media control global public opinion, we often have rationales that we cannot speak out about, or once we’ve spoken about the, we can’t communicate them. This problem must be resolved with great efforts. We must strive to move international communications capacity construction forward, innovate foreign propaganda methods, strengthen discourse system construction, strive to forge new concepts, new categories and new expressions that circulate between China and the outside world, tell China’s story well, disseminate China’s voice well, and strengthen our discourse power internationally (Rogier 2013).. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. According to Eric (2018), concerning soft power, China was the sole major country that considered succeed in the trend. “It integrated itself into the post-World War II 4. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(13) international order by expanding deep and broad cultural and economic ties with virtually all countries in the world”. Now China is the largest trading nation in the world and history, and it refused to become a consumer of Western soft power. To quote from Eric (2018), “It rejected Western definitions of democracy, freedom, and human rights, and it retained and strengthened its one-party political system. In soft power terms, China did not agree to want what the West wanted—culturally, ideologically, or institutionally”. Economically, China was an agriculture-based economy. However, it has turned from a poor backwater. 治政大 lived under the ‘extreme the “pyramid of poverty”. “Forty years ago, 9 out of 10 Chinese 立. into the largest industrial economy in the world. According to Allison (2018), he calls this. poverty line’ set by the World Bank. Today, the pyramid has been flipped, with only around. ‧ 國. 學. 10 percent of Chinese living under that line”. Politically, it is obvious to see as a country. ‧. implement socialism, the nation is relatively united as a whole and consistently support their country leader. As the West is struggling to cope with the shortcomings and the. y. Nat. er. io. sit. complex democratic process, China is taking the opportunity to promote its one-party political system. Compare with several predecessors, current country leader Xi Jinping. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. believes that China’s ideological conviction competition with the West is much deeper.. engchi. Chinese propaganda experts are no longer satisfied with the idea of “dominant democracy” outside the country, but consider that if the Communist Party expects to continue to take power, it will be necessary to focus on making China’s ideology attractive. China has significant performance with regards to its political perspective, economic perspective, also its power countermeasure tactics to deal with the West. On the report of China’s influence recently from National Endowment for Democracy, the attempts by Beijing to “wield influence in the spheres of media, culture, think tanks, and academia is neither a ‘charm. 5. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(14) offensive’, nor an effort to ‘win hearts and minds’.” The report argues that “It is better categorized as “sharp power” that pierces, penetrates, or perforates the political and information environment in the targeted countries (Walker & Ludwig, 2017, p.6)”. To begin with, briefly distinguish the differences between sharp power and soft power. The latter mainly enhances its own attractiveness or persuasion (image) through cultural communication; the former to use gain as a lure and threat to make the paradox that is beneficial to the narratives and become mainstream internationally. Avoiding and. 政治大 by authoritarian powers in expanding economic projects and national image overseas. 立. suppressing negative issues and accountabilities, thus reducing the resistance encountered. ‧ 國. 學. In order to better understand the essence of sharp Power, it will be significant to understand its predecessors. International Relations theorists distinguish “Power” into a. ‧. variety of forms, features and can be exercised with different degree of intensity, either. Nat. sit. y. good or bad, as force and violence, or with kindness and civility. Power in the field of. n. al. er. io. international relations is basically “State Power”, signifying both economic and military. i n U. v. power. With the aid of traditional understanding and interpretation of power, it connects. Ch. engchi. the relationship between the “State Power” and “sharp power” that the latter needs the former as an upholder, which will support the aspects of the research. The concept of different power will be addressed in the Chapter 2. 1.3 Research Objectives Above mentioned information and operations are undeniably reflecting that Taiwan government should face up to the harm of democratic values by the “information warfare” that uses the Internet and media as a tool. Taiwan is at the forefront of the United Front top. 6. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(15) list of the CCP, it is necessary to respond to the CCP’s “sharp power” infiltration in national security level but with flexible manner. In the competition between autocratic and democratic states, it is also critical to analyze the strategies and tactics that China uses to manipulate other countries. In the recent years, due to the strengthening of economic capability and the vigorous development of military force, the CCP has been convinced that in order to gain the recognition of the international community, it is necessary to promote “soft power” to. 政治大. reconstruct and shape the cultural sovereignty and peaceful image to the outside world.. 立. However, the CCP is accused of using “soft power” to cloak “sharp power” and. ‧ 國. 學. exporting subversive and pervasive policies to influence and undermine the political system of a target country. Since China has gradually become an influential power of the. ‧. international community, based on the complex historical background of both sides, it will. Nat. sit. y. have a considerable impact on Taiwan in terms of sovereignty, national security, politics,. n. al. er. io. and economy levels. Therefore, it is hoped that through the discussion of this paper, we. i n U. v. will better understand the practices and implications of the CCP’s sharp power penetration,. Ch. engchi. and then explore the difficulties and challenges it may face, eventually benefit our country in response to the development of the cross-strait situation. The main research purposes of this paper are as follows: (1) In Chapter 2, I will explain the difference between sharp power, soft power, hard power and smart power. (2) In Chapter 3, I will illustrate the difference and similarity between sharp power and the United Front.. 7. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(16) 1.4 In Chapter 4, I will explore China’s sharp power operation in Taiwan. 1.5 Methodology 1.4.1 Research Method This paper will be proceeded with Case Study method to investigate China’s sharp power influences in Taiwan. What are the impacts of China’s sharp power in Taiwan’s society? How does China wield sharp power to influence Taiwan? And, who are the targets of sharp power’s infiltrating strategy?. 治政 Case study researchers believe that a case is a description 大 of the real situation, usually 立 written in words to stimulate the reader’s deliberation, to get a clear understanding of the ‧ 國. 學. facts, the problem and to feasible solutions. Yin (1984) argues that the case study is defined. ‧. as: a case study is a practical way of investigation, when the boundary between the phenomenon being studied and real life is not clear, the current situation is investigated. y. Nat. io. sit. through evidence from various sources. And the case studies must grasp the three principles:. n. al. er. (1) Using multiple sources of evidence; (2) Establishing a database of case study; (3). Ch. i n U. v. Maintaining the relevance of the evidence. Gillham (2000) argues that there are some. engchi. fundamental elements of a case study: “a unit of human activity embedded in the real world; which can only be studied or understood in context; which exists in the here and now; that merges in with its context so that precise boundaries are difficult to draw” (p.1). Liu (2002) claims that a case study has the following characteristics: 1) Engaged in the study of phenomena in natural setting; 2) Use a variety of data collections methods; 3) The analysis unit can be a single case of multiple cases; 4) Understand the complexity of each case; 5) Case study method is more suitable for problems that are still in the stage of exploration with less previous study; 6) No variable manipulation, experimental design or control; 7) 8. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(17) Study current phenomena to solve problems at present; 8) Case studies are more advisable for studying the “why” and “how” questions, which can be used as the basis for future research; 9) There is a considerable relationships between the quality of the research and the integrating capability of the researcher; 10) Change the research object and data collection methods may develop some new hypotheses; 11) Case study does not involves presupposed dependent variable, or independent variable research setting. Merriam (1988, p.38-40) classified case study research as following 3 types:. 政治大. (1) Descriptive Case Study: Mainly in the description of the research target, commonly. 立. used in innovation and unique situations, therefore, the information provided is described. ‧ 國. 學. in detail as the basis for future research comparisons, assumptions and theoretical establishment.. ‧. (2) Interpretive Case Study: Also known as analytical research, summarizing data for. Nat. sit. y. analysis, explain and develop theory.. n. al. er. io. (3) Evaluative Case Study: Including description, interpretation, and evaluation as the. i n U. final stage, thus, the aforementioned steps are also included.. Ch. engchi. v. For the case studies in social, political and economic fields, regardless of “case experimental method” in quantitative research, researchers often cross the lines of classification, combine descriptive, interpretive, plus evaluations as complete procedures for research, as Evaluative Case Study method to improve the validity and readability of the research report. Combining the above scholars and the master thesis’s perspectives, the case study research method is applicable to exploratory research when there is no/ less study about. 9. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(18) the topic. In order to ensure the integrity and validity of the research, the case data should be obtained from multiple sources, and finally propose proposition and hypothesis for subsequent research. Currently, there are only few reports that are aimed at the infiltration of China’s sharp power in Taiwan. It is necessary to collect the secondary data as much as possible to gain a comprehensive understanding of the ways and targets of China’s penetration. Therefore, this research will be conducted as Case Study method, and proceed with. 政治大 situation in Taiwan, 2) the interpretation of the sharp power strategies of the CCP, and the 立 Evaluative Case Study approach, which will include 1) the description of the infiltrating. ‧ 國. 學. evaluation to the whole circumstances in the final stage. 1.4.2 Case Selection. ‧. According to the literatures and news reports, Taiwan is the place that suffered the. y. Nat. io. sit. most severely penetration by China’s sharp power, especially the report from V-dem. n. al. er. regarding the false information influence, Taiwan is ranking at the first place to suffered. Ch. i n U. v. the most disinformation from the foreign government. Although Taiwan’s connection with. engchi. China still has a rather complicated and embarrassing historical relationship, in fact, since the KMT (Kuomintang) government retreated to Taiwan in 1949, with the political reform and opening up, Taiwan, has its own government, territory, population, and diplomatic capability. Taiwan also established its own democratic system and political structures. However, while we are enjoying this beautiful democratic system, China has never given up its United Front tactics toward Taiwan, and with the time proceeding, it revised and advanced the United Front strategy in accordance with the present international situation.. 10. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(19) According to the Appendix 1, news collected concerning sharp power influence worldwide. Taiwan was mentioned 7 times out of 20 news articles. Like Hong Kong, Taiwan is at the battlefront of China’s sharp power penetration. Sharp power, as a part of the United Front strategy to Taiwan, can not be ignored. It is hoped that by straightening out the cases, point out the loophole where the country is threatened by foreign forces, the government can exert its “comprehensive power” to resist further subversion. In the society, the mass population should also have a better understanding on national defense, prevent. 政治大. Taiwan from further subversive actions.. 立. 1.5 Literature Review. ‧ 國. 學. The emergence of sharp power was not gradually incubated by the academic community, but was proposed by a politically prominent organization and reported. ‧. intensely by the media. It is a highly politicized term used to criticize the ambition of the. Nat. sit. y. totalitarian states including China and Russia. The academic circles have not yet made a. n. al. er. io. theoretical discussion on this argument; therefore, it is still not academically oriented like. i n U. v. soft power and hard power. However, it is worth noting that this term has conceptual values.. Ch. engchi. Academically, it leaves the space for the future academic discussion, while it also warns the world against the destructive Chinese propaganda. To be clear about, China will be the primary research object of this paper. The cases of the CCP’s sharp power operation are all-embracing globally. Taiwan should have the most manifest perception. For example, for movie stars, corporates with Chinese market, or multinational corporates such as airline company, hotels or restaurants, are required to express their position on the political and national identity. It is required to submit, apologize, and declare to cooperate with the established political principles, even 11. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(20) further conduct self-censorship, curb free speech and academic freedom, or infringe free well to comply with specific utterances, statements and even force others to obey. There are also many cases in the cultural and academic spheres that have received attention and vigilance worldwide. For instance, as mentioned in the chapter “Research background”, the Confucius Institutes established in many universities is regarded as concrete illustration of sharp power operation. In the recent year, Australia and the U.S. have continued to expose Confucius Institutes established in various universities through. 政治大 education research, but what it conceals behind is that China uses economic means to 立. endowing with subsidies and donations. Ostensibly claiming to engage in Chinese cultural. ‧ 國. 學. interfere with academic freedom, thus causing awareness and rebound from the academic circles. There have been many cases in which universities have closed Confucius Institutes.. ‧. The U.S. Congress also proposed to include Confucius Institutes as the registration scope. sit. y. Nat. in the Foreign Agents Registration Act (國外代理人登記法).. n. al. er. io. Although there are research limitations due to the lacks of academic discussion with. i n U. v. regard to China’s sharp power influences, it is still quite essential to understand and prevent. Ch. engchi. China’s sharp power through observation of relevant cases analysis and induction. The author hopes to make the readers better understand and evaluate the impacts by organizing the arguments of both sides into the following two standpoints: (1) Global accusation against China’s sharp power; (2) The response of the Chinese Communist Party. 1.5.1 Global Accusation Against China’s Sharp Power. 12. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(21) After sharp power has been exposed, it caused international countermeasures, launch investigations, publicly condemned and enacted new laws to strengthen democratic institutions. Countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and Canada have repeatedly exposed cases of Chinese government funding, attempting to bribe and affect politics, universities, think tanks, and corporations. As the Economist claims — “even if China does not seek to conquer foreign lands, many people fear that it seeks to conquer foreign minds” (Economist, 2017a, p.9). China’s sharp power is now influencing the world, in many. 政治大 For countries, Australia was the first country to accuse China of interfering Australian 立. countries and many fields.. ‧ 國. 學. politics, universities, and publishing, which causes the government to enact new laws to prohibit “foreign influence”. An Australian senator as the opposition party’s spokesman. ‧. has accused of taking money from China and try to defend China’s side of the argument.. sit. y. Nat. Sam Dastyari, former federal Labor senator resigned over a scandal of taking money from. io. er. a Chinese business figure, Huang Xiangmo, who has apparent links to the PRC, at the same. al. iv n C government to “respect” China’s territorial U south China Sea (Economist, h e n gclaims c h ini the n. time contradicting the policy of both the government and his own party, urging the. 2017b, p.17). Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull publicly denounced the Chinese Communist Party for interfering in Australia’s internal affairs and announced the new Anti-Espionage Law and Anti-Foreign Intervention Act in December 2017 to prevent China's further penetration. “The new legislation banning political donations from noncitizens and requiring political lobbyists to reveal if they are working for foreigners” (Economist, 2017b, p.17). In the academy, criticism of China is not appeared in the conferences, and academic research topics try to avoid Chinese sensitive issues. The. 13. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(22) problem facing the academic world is that if you say too much criticism about China, you will not be able to visit China and lose some sense of existence (Economist, 2017a, p.9). Since China’s influence in terms of economic, political, and cultural are substantial, it causes huge pressure upon the West. A book named: Silent Invasion: How China Is Turning Australia into a Puppet State, highlighting the tensions between Australia’s growing economic dependence on China and its fears of falling under the political control of the rising Asian superpower, its publisher postponed the release saying it was worried. 政治大 college for years, but he left this information off his CV when he later applied for 立. about the lawsuits. In New Zealand, a member of parliament had taught at a Chinese spy. ‧ 國. 學. citizenship. This incident later alarms the government to put more scrutiny of China’s influence in terms of the Chinese diaspora (Economist, 2017b, p.17).. ‧. In Europe, Germany also accused China of trying to tend on politicians and. Nat. sit. y. bureaucrats by arranging recruiters and think-tankers on LinkedIn to lure politicians and. er. io. government officials by providing free trips (Economist, 2017a, p.9). Peter Mattis from. al. n. iv n C U from the Chinese institutions h e n gtoctake cash, it is gradually considered “normalized” h imoney. The Jamestown Foundation, argues that many of these institutions in the West eager for. which have party link with the PRC. Chinese money is criticized for buying influences in politics, in the ways of party donations or payments to an individual politician. Norway was economically “punished” by China because it awards a Nobel peace prize to Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese pro-democracy activist. China indicates that “conferring the prize to such a person goes against the purposes of this award, it is a blasphemy of the peace prize” (Tom Phillips, 2017). As the Economist (2017a, p.9) mentioned, “sharp power helps authoritarian regimes coerce and manipulate opinion abroad”. 14. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(23) “China has made foreign companies continued access to its domestic market conditional on their compliance with Beijing’s stance on Taiwan and Tibet” (Chinese Influence & American Interests, 2018, p.4). For instance, Springer Nature, the world’s largest academic book publisher, which has removed more than 1,000 articles from its Chinese Journal of Chinese Political Science and International Politics on the Chinese website in order to comply with China's censorship directions. All of the articles in question contained keywords deemed political sensitive by the Chinese authorities, including. 治政 receiving the reward from China, the publisher got the 大 opportunity to sign a profitable 立. “Taiwan”, “Tibet”, “Tiananmen”, “Falun gong” and “Cultural Revolution”. After. strategic partnership with Chinese technology giant Tencent (The Long Arm of China,. ‧ 國. 學. 2017, p.48). Another case of interfering academic freedom that caused a strong rebound. ‧. was that in 2017, Cambridge University Press (CUP) succumbed to GAPP (General Administration of Press and Publication [of China]), removing more than 300 papers and. y. Nat. er. io. sit. books review from its important publication— China Quarterly. According to the news report, there are a lot of donations from the Chinese side. The case caused thousands of. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. authors of the journal to jointly protest, later the University of Cambridge decided to. engchi. withdraw the decision. Tim Pringle, the editor from the China Quarterly states that “we are deeply concerned and disappointed by the removal of more than 300 articles and books review by the Chinese importer. We would also like to point out that this practice of restricting academic freedom is not the only isolated measure, but a policy of restricting pubic participation in the discussion space throughout the Chinese society” （中國季刊：對中國刪 300 多篇文章深表關注，2017）. In September 2018, Taylor & Francis Group, an international publisher originating in England has removed 83 journals at the request of. 15. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(24) the Chinese government, including “The Journal of Asian Studies”, which is regarded by the authorities as “inappropriate” content. According to the report, Beijing authorities began to use commercial influence to pressure foreign academic publishers to call for the removal of “sensitive content” （翟思嘉、楊昇儒，2018）. A superpower like the United States also cannot avoid the impact of China’s sharp power. “In American federal and state politics, China seeks to identify and cultivate rising politicians. Like many other countries, Chinese entities employ prominent lobbying and. 政治大. public relations firms and cooperate with influential civil society groups. These activities. 立. complement China’s long-standing support of visits to China by members of Congress and. ‧ 國. 學. their staffs. In some rare instances, China has used private citizens and/or companies to exploit loopholes in U.S. regulations that prohibit direct foreign contributions to elections”. ‧. (Chinese Influence &American Interests, 2018, p.4). Although the United States has not. Nat. sit. y. set a new National Security Law to prevent China's infiltration, the Congressional-. er. io. Executive Commission on China (CECC) has held the hearing: The Long Arm of China:. al. n. iv n C h epenetration Marco Rubio blames China’s overseas i U the core values of democratic n g c hthreatens. Exporting Authoritarianism with Chinese Characteristics in December 2017. Senator. countries, accusing China has extended its omnipresent “long arm” and stealthily exported authoritarianism with Chinese characteristics. He also expressed the frustration that policymakers and business leaders seem pretending to be naive while China arose subtle attacks on academic independence and free expression, also for American firms or universities have partnership with China is dazzled by the size of the Chinese market. Nonetheless, the committee is mulling new legislative and a resolute way to fight back. China awarded to companies and individuals who comply with the rules of the Chinese 16. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(25) government. Hollywood was also affected by China and had to put a film scripts on hold because it contained a storyline involving China’s abuse of the Tibetan people (The Long Arm of China, 2017, p.3). In Argentina, according to Juan Pablo (2017, pp.41-42), there are power struggles among political elites. A Chinese-born businessman, Yuan Jian Ping, known as Fernando Yuan was elected in 2015 to the Buenos Aires city legislature under PRO (Propuesta Republicana) party list. He was an enigmatic case since he speaks little Spanish, does not. 政治大 local policy community, and only his business achievements were discussed. This is 立 give interview except to Chinese media, no one knew much about his background in the. ‧ 國. 學. regarded as China’s influence abroad through the political mobilization of the overseas Chinese. “In fact, Beijing’s support for ethnic-Chinese candidates abroad is not new and. ‧. was referred to as an area ‘for further development’ in internal Chinese official documents. sit. y. Nat. more than a decade ago”. In the media aspect, China has invited journalists to participate. io. er. in trainings in China, promoting partnerships with national television network which may. al. have higher willingness to broadcast Chinese-produced content. “They have also been. n. iv n C successful in inserting the China Watch regularly into several local media h e nsupplement gchi U. outlets. This supplement is nothing more than paid content produced by the official Chinese state media”. For the fields that has been influence by China’s sharp power, in business, “China often uses its companies to advance strategic objectives abroad, gaining political influence and access to critical infrastructure and technology” (Chinese Influence & American Interests, 2018, p.4). The U.S. Commerce Department announced on May 15, 2019 that Huawei Technologies Co. and its 70 affiliates were included in the trade blacklist, 17. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(26) prohibiting Huawei from purchasing components from U.S. companies without the approval of the Washington authorities. U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order, pointing to the United States is facing foreign threats in terms of communications infrastructure and services, and U.S. companies are not allowed to trade information technology and services that may threaten homeland security（郭妍希， 2019）. As Walker and Ludwig (2017, p.15) suggest that the Confucius Institutes, which are built on university campuses around the world, teaching Chinese and calligraphy. They. 政治大. seem to be harmless, but their activities clearly support the CCP’s political proposition. On. 立. university campus, Confucius Institutes provide the Chinese government access to U.S.. ‧ 國. 學. student communities. “With the direct support of the Chinese embassy and consulates, Chinese Students and Scholars Associations (CSSAs) sometimes report on and. ‧. compromise the academic freedom of other Chinese students and American faculty on. sit. y. Nat. American campus” (Chinese Influence & American Interests, 2018, p.4). Universities and. er. io. government that organize events assumed as politically offensive by the CCP have been. al. n. iv n C h e nasgwell the Chinese embassy and its six consulates c hasibyUCSSA branches.. subject to increasing pressure. And the CCP sometimes even retaliated via diplomates in. At think tanks, there have been many attempts by Chinese diplomates and other intermediaries (power holder) to influence activities by researchers, scholars, and other staffers within the United States. CCP is also intensifying covert influence operations that include funding Washington think tanks and coercing Chinese Americans. According to the report, Johns Hopkins School of Advance International Studies, a major foreign policy education and analysis institute, has received funding from Tung Chee-hwa (董建華), a vice chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the party group 18. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(27) that directs the Unites Front Work Department and includes a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, the collective dictatorship that rules China (Bowe, 2018, p.15). Clear to be seen that “China has begun to establish its own network of think tanks in the U.S., it also restrains the access to China and to Chinese officials of American think-tanks researchers and delegations” (Chinese Influence &American Interests, 2018, p.4). In media, the scale of Grand Overseas Propaganda Campaign (大外宣) has been glorious, “with Chinese sources reporting hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on a. 政治大. multitude of projects designed to bolster China’s image” (Chinese Influence &American. 立. Interests, 2018, p.81). One of the most significant example of state-own media expansion. ‧ 國. 學. is Xinhua News Agency. In the United States, the number of Xinhua bureaus have doubled, and its stationary points have diffused in many big states such as Chicago, Huston, San. ‧. Francisco, Washington, New York, and Lok Angeles. It also recruits local talent to work. Nat. sit. y. for the cause and it began a TV broadcast in English since 2009. China Central Television. er. io. (CCTV), renamed as China Global Television Network (GCTN) in 2012, is another. al. iv n C h e nto glaunch America’s second-largest TV company, c h itheUChinese ‘Great Wall Platform’, n. example of the effort to grab the right to speak. “In 2004 it cooperated with EchoStar,. including twelve Mandarin channels, two Cantonese channels, one Hokkien channel, and one English Channel, and in 2012, it was broadcasting in seven languages” (Chinese Influence &American Interests, 2018, p.82). Chinese investment in the U.S. media market is not limited to the central government. Chinese provincial company also have footprint in the United States, such as Sky Link TV. Chinese investment not only appeared in the satellite Television but radio, newspaper, and online news. Even the mobile application,. 19. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(28) WeChat is another source of news within the Chinese American community, because it examines and censor news and comments in accordance with rules set by CCP. In 2016, Xi Jinping said in the Congress of the Republic of Peru that by 2019, China would provide training opportunities for 10,000 South Americans. He also mentioned on the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation 2015 (FOCAC) that 100,000 training places will be provided to Asian and African developing countries within five years. These so-called “training” are not simply training but take the opportunity to contact elites in various fields. 政治大 parliamentarians, political party members or former diplomats. As Cardenal (2017, p.68) 立 that can exert influence in the future, such as opinion leaders, policy makers,. ‧ 國. 學. indicates:. ‧. Beijing is also trying to recruit Peru’s ethnic Chinese population, one of the oldest and largest in Latin America, the first are those who maintain Chinese citizenship and, therefore, have stronger, more direct ties to China; this group includes the descendants of the workers of Cantonese origin who migrated to Peru after 1849, as well as the socalled new migrants—mostly from Fujian province—who have been flowing into the country since the 1980s. The second group are Peruvian citizens born in the country with mixed Peruvian-Chinese ancestry, locally known as Tusan. The Chinese government regards overseas Chinese—whether they are PRC nationals or Peruvian citizens of Chinese ethnicity—as national assets that can be leveraged to support China’s integration with the world, serve as a lobby against Taiwan’s independence, and act as soft power promoters of Chinese pride and culture.. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. This approach is equivalent to the one conducted in the United States. China has long sought to influence, muted critical voice of CCP or supportive argument of Taiwan by dispatching personnel to the U.S. to pressure these individuals while also pressuring their relatives in China. “Beijing also views Chinese Americans as members of a worldwide Chinese diaspora that presume them to retain not only an interest in the welfare of China. 20. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(29) but also a loosely defined cultural, and even political, allegiance to the so-called Motherland” (Chinese Influence &American Interests, 2018, p.5). China really has power as an economic development model, an analysis China’s Trillion-Dollar Sharp Power Play by The Sydney Morning Herald, Bachelard (2018) indicates that “after China pledged $US3 billion in low-interest loans and financing for highway and railway projects in the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean nation announced that, after 77 years of recognizing self-ruled Taiwan, it was switching its allegiance to. 政治大 built 27 projects in Papua New Guinea, worth $858 million, over the past decade. Fiji 立. China”. “China is also courting the Pacific Island nations with aid and infrastructure. It has. ‧ 國. 學. president Frank Bainimarama received high-level treatment last year, meeting Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, who encouraged more Chinese tourists to visit Fiji. A few days. ‧. later, Fiji closed its trade office in Taiwan”.. Nat. sit. y. To conclude this section, China has employed its state power to further restrict on the. n. al. er. io. academic space, business, politics, and media. It is worth noting that (1) When commercial. i n U. v. institutions rely on Chinese market massively to make money, it is often difficult to refuse. Ch. engchi. such censorship requirement; (2) The most serious consequence of such censor mechanism is that it brings a lot of uncertainty, deterring researchers, educators and students from conducting in relevant research or obtaining relevant information. Simultaneously, causing more people to start “self-censorship” and trigger a chain of Chilling Effect; (3) In the past, in the process of democratization or liberalization of many authoritarian countries, the pressure from the major Western Powers is the most influential reason for opening up prohibition and promoting civil rights protection. For example, the Chiang Ching-kuo regime in Taiwan was forced to open up the ban on party, press, and martial law under the 21. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(30) pressure of the United States. However, nowadays almost no country has the will or ability to exert pressure upon China, or in another word, China does not concern the threats from the West. There are even more cases and allegations in the international arena regarding the devastating Chinese sharp power. The author gives examples of more striking actual cases for the readers to better understand that Chinese sharp power is far beyond our imagination. As can be seen from the above discussion, Chinese sharp power through its influence on. 政治大 comprehensive power of the authoritarian state, publicly or non-publicly exert pressure, to 立 the economic and trade market, the right to work, and even the security of life. That is, the. ‧ 國. 學. influence specific targets, succumb others or self-censorship, and achieve the goal of manipulation and influence public opinion. Its scope not only includes politics, economics,. ‧. academics, technology sector, human rights, freedom of speech, which are closely related. n. al. Ch. y. er. io. 1.5.2 The Response of the Chinese Communist Party. sit. Nat. to our life but also threatens democracy and national security.. i n U. v. To begin with, these sharp power actions from China indeed cause anti-Chinese. engchi. hysteria around the world as repercussions. According to the Economist (2017b, p.19), for example, posters were put up in many universities threatening Chinese citizens with deportations; Chinese teenagers were beaten up at a bus stop in Canberra; graffiti with “Kill Chinese” in the University of Sydney. Since 1978, about 10 million Chinese have moved abroad, the Chinese government worried about these overseas residents affected by the democratic system, which may in turn affect China itself. According to the Economist (2017a, p.9), as a superpower, China has the ambition to shape the global rules— “rules. 22. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(31) created largely by America and western Europe and routinely invoked by them to justify their own actions”. The concept of sharp power has accumulated and quickly projected the image of China Threat Theory. Chinese scholars were not reconciled to allow the West smash and control the narratives, one after another wrote articles to refute the paradox trap behind sharp power, and try to counterattack with the concept of “Balance Power” (和實力) and “Wise Power” (睿實力). As believed by 譚峰（2015）a reporter from People’s Tribune (人民論壇), the. 政治大. so-called Balance Power refers to the fusion of military, economy, discourse, and. 立. institutional strengths, and the sum of this new power in its process of practical. ‧ 國. 學. interchanges. It is an amalgamation concept that integrates the four major fields of military, economics, discourse and institutions, representing the inclusiveness of diverse academic. ‧. traits in the field, it is also a refined concept that enriches the essence of Chinese tradition. Nat. sit. y. and has the academic quality in historical inheritance. It inherits the core essence of. n. al. er. io. Chinese traditional culture pursues the mainstream values that the Chinese nation has held. i n U. v. for thousands of years. The introduction of this concept shows the cultural values of. Ch. engchi. Chinese nation and also forms a diplomatic strategic thinking with Chinese characteristics. Together with, as claimed by 史安斌（2017), a professor from Tsinghua University, the concept of sharp power was put forward when the world entered the Chinese-leading “New Era of Globalization” ( 新全球化時代 ), reflecting the anxiety of the Western intellectuals and elites in the face of global changes. Facing some Western media and scholars attempt to utilize sharp power to challenge China’s efforts in enhancing its global image and influence in recent years, we must take initiative and respond positively from. 23. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(32) theoretical practical levels. The first thing is to continue to strengthen the construction of our own theory and propaganda system, create our own Wise Power. 史安斌（2017) further elaborated that, in the past, China incorporated the concept of soft power proposed by Western scholars into the national strategy, representing the tradition of Chinese culture. Nonetheless, some Western scholars who hold the “Cold War Mentality” feel astonished and disturbed on the one hand, insisting that soft power is a patent of democratic country; on the other hand, eager to throw out the concept of sharp. 政治大. power to draw boundaries with China. In this regard, we must conduct Wise Power that. 立. is— combines the wisdom and moral appeals of Chinese culture, use the idea of “a. ‧ 國. 學. community with a shared future for mankind” (人類命運共同體) as core philosophy, with the law of propaganda and needs of the audience to improve the external communication. ‧. and public diplomacy in the new era of globalization and enhance its effectiveness of action. io. sit. y. Nat. guide.. n. al. er. An editorial from Huanqiu, a state-own newspaper based in Beijing argue that their. Ch. i n U. v. accusations against China, such as China crowd out western company in its domestic. engchi. market, while purchase important assets of the Western countries; mute criticism about China; manipulate western social elites; Chinese media propaganda in the west; steal intelligence from the West, and so forth. These accusations are ambiguous, and many of them are simply based on impressions. These false accusations indicate the west is unaccommodated about China’s rise, also reflect that the west is reluctant about some elites to recognize and accept China’s rise. Therefore, looking for various kinds of shackles to attack China and exaggerate the normal friction between countries in different society to the maximum. “However, China does not need to be nervous. We must firmly believe that 24. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(33) these disputes cannot influence China’s rise. All our countermeasures should be built on this amply confidence” （社評：中西這一輪摩擦，2017）. The Confucius Institutes has always been considered to reflect China’s soft power, it was originally based on Chinese and cultural studies, but as more and more institutions point out that the Chinese government controls the Confucius Institute in the United States, Argentina, Peru, and other democratic countries, intervening in targeted countries’ academic circles, gradually politicized, now it has been considered as a weapon of China’s. 政治大. sharp power. In addition to not allowing to discuss sensitive topics such as Tiananmen. 立. Square Protests, Dalai Lama, and Falun Gong, which surely shouldered the responsibility. ‧ 國. 學. of propaganda for China. Subsequently, sharp power did not increase the strength of soft power, instead, damage it. Nevertheless, Huanqiu also responded to this issue. According. ‧. to the report, many of the controversial projects were welcomed when they first entered. Nat. sit. y. Western society. For example, the Confucius Institutes have a large demand for Western. er. io. school. Most of the Confucius Institutes were requested initiative by the Western. al. n. iv n C the West alleged that the Confucius h Institutes tooli ofUexerting sharp power, is actually e n gisca h. universities, and the conditions for establishment are also negotiated by both sides. Now,. a reflection of the diversification of national interests. With regard to this complexity, China asserted can face it calmly. As long as it is legal cooperation and also welcomed by Western society. Yet, when the Western public opinion about the controversies are high, it should be explained by those countries and Chinese-cooperated agencies. If some Western countries cooperatives cannot stand the pressure of public opinion, then withdraw. China will not suffer any losses. “In the future, we Chinese should deal with the West to establish a sense that the other party’s psychology status often changes from superiority to weakness. 25. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(34) It should be processed cautiously when dealing with cooperative projects that are prone to disputes, and avoids carrying out domestic thought in the Western counties. In addition, sometimes you can consider giving more interests when dealing with them, it is not a bad idea” （社評：中西這一輪摩擦，2017）. The Economist (2017b, p.18) also suggest that “they would be unlikely to convince students in the West that China’s authoritarianism is admirable, even if they tried”. Shambaugh (2015) points out that China invest 10 billion a year in order to increase its soft. 政治大. power influence, nonetheless, it has yet to see any provable improvement in terms of its. 立. global image, because the way China handles public diplomacy in the same way as building. ‧ 國. 學. infrastructure: investing money and expect to see progress as soon as possible. What China fails to understand is that despite it has mainstream culture, food, human capital, and. ‧. miracle economic rise over the past few decades, as long as its political system rejects. Nat. sit. y. rather than commits itself to achieve human freedom, it is deemed to face a thorny battle.. n. al. er. io. In business, the United States arrested and prosecuted Chinese citizens for theft of. i n U. v. technology. On January 28, 2019, 23 charges against Huawei were announced, including. Ch. engchi. allegations that Huawei had stolen T-mobiles robots’ information for testing mobile phone since 2012, and secretly measuring and taking photo on confidential information, even stealing part of the electronic device. The U.S. Department of Justice also accused Huawei of using bonuses to encourage employees to steal confidential intelligence information from companies around the world. In the lawsuit, the emails sent to its employees by Huawei as evidence of the allegation. On January 31st, 2019, the Financial Times also reported that the second Apple Chinese engineer was arrested for stealing the secretes of autonomous cars. Jizhong Chen, a hardware engineer on the company’s self-driving car 26. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(35) project, has been charged with stealing trade secrets, and taking photo on confidential information. According to a criminal complaint file unsealed in federal court, Mr. Chen had a personal hard drive filled with company’s proprietary material, including details of car sensors and custom-built harnesses (Hannah Kuchler, 2019). In addition, Ji Chaoqun, a Chinese citizen serving in the U.S. Army Reserves Program was arrested in Chicago for recruiting engineers and scientists for Chinese Intelligence, including some U.S. Defense contractor staff. Mr. Ji was accused of working for an unnamed high-ranking intelligence. 治政大Affairs at the regular press 2018). As reported by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign 立. officer, according to a criminal complaint filed in a Chicago court (“Chinese national”,. conference on January 31, 2019, in the light of the Democratic Party senator of the U.S.. ‧ 國. 學. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Mark Warner, worried that Chinese large-scale. ‧. technology companies would acquire and replicate sensitive information with the help of the Chinese government. And the Senator, Chuck Schumer, accused China of intending to. y. Nat. er. io. sit. replace the U.S. technology dominance position by stealing intelligence property.. al. iv n C responded: “China recognizes that the hUnited e n gStates c hisi theUworld’s number one technology n. Geng Shuang, Deputy Director of Foreign Ministry Information Department of PRC. powerhouse, meanwhile, hopes that the U.S. can treat the technological development and progress of other countries with an open and comprehensive attitude. You cannot only allow yourself to develop, but not others”. He expressed that “it is completely unreasonable to defame, blame and suppress the development and progress of science and technology of other countries”. What is more, he emphasized that “China’s achievements in scientific and technological development, not relying on stealing nor snatching, but the gains of hard-. 27. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(36) working and struggling by wisdom and sweat of the vast number of scientific and technological dedicators” （外交部：希望美方以開放包容， 2019）. Since 2017, Western countries have frequently accused China of infiltrating the Western value system through sharp power measures. Wang Yi, the State Councilor adjunct Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Communist Party, attended the 2019 New Year reception of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, indicates that China adheres to the path of peaceful development, never seeks hegemony, and never engages in. 政治大. expansion. He pointed out that China insists on not interfering in other countries’ domestic. 立. affairs and persists in building a pattern of international relations of cooperation and win-. ‧ 國. 學. win. Only in this way can the earth achieve universal and true peace. It is quite a refutation of the allegations against sharp power （在外交部 2019 年新年招待會上的致辭，. ‧. 2019）.. y. Nat. er. io. sit. Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the CCP, published a signed article, titled 「文明交流互鑑是推動人類文明進步和世界和平發展的重要動力」 [Civilization and Mutual. al. n. iv n C Understanding is an Important Driving for the Advancement of Human Civilization h eForce ngchi U and the Peaceful Development of the World] in the organ of the Central Committee Party of China—Qiushi Magazine (求是雜誌) on May, 1, 2019. He emphasized in the article that “we should promote mutual respect and harmonious coexistence among different civilizations, and let civilization exchanges and mutual understanding become a bridge to enhance the friendship between communities, promote advancement of human society, and a bond to maintain world peace”. In conjunction with, he addressed that “all kinds of civilization have their own merits, there is no good and bad distinction. To understand the 28. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(37) true meaning of various civilizations, we must uphold an attitude of equality and modesty. Pride and prejudice are the biggest obstacles to the exchange of civilizations. As long as we adhere to the spirit of inclusive, there will be no “clash of civilization”, and we can achieve cultural harmony” （習近平， 2019 ） . In this regard, it seems to have implications on downplaying the accusation of sharp power. To conclude this section, based on the above information on Chinese side, for a long time, in order to enable the people of the world, especially for democratic countries, to. 政治大. understand the Chinese political system, China has spent a lot of resources to reduce the. 立. emotional exclusion of Westerners against China, thus affecting the attitude of Western. ‧ 國. 學. governments to facilitate the exchanges and cooperation between the two sides to proceed smoothly. However, such “defensive” soft power blueprint is now regarded as “offensive”. ‧. tool in the Western community. China believes that such misjudgments will inevitably have. Nat. sit. y. a devastating impact on cultural exchanges, as well as the development of mutual trust.. er. io. China argued that, if the United States and the West truly understand the essence of Chinese. al. iv n C understand China’s contribution to h theecause h i Upeace, project such as Belt and n gofc human n. culture, precisely understand China’s development philosophy and goals, and objectively. Road Initiatives, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, it should be noted that China is not contributing to “sharp Power” but to new choices and positive energy. Finally, the successful development of China has proved that there is more than one direction to proceed in the world, and countries can completely follow the path that suits their national conditions, respectively. China’s proposition of building a community with a shared future for mankind, constructing a new pattern of international relations embodies the Chinese wisdom of what kind of approach human being should take in the 21st century. 29. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(38) Appendix 1 enumerates the news regarding China’s sharp power influences in the targeted countries in terms of the means used and the comments to it. By the way of collecting the released news worldwide, this table can authenticate the argument over China’s ambition to discredit the democracies, also overthrow the Chinese side counterargument on global accusation. The purpose of Appendix 1 is to reveal the following three things. Firstly, the influence of Chinese sharp power is evidently covered the five continents: America, Oceania, Europe,. 政治大 economic, academic, media, and universal values. Thirdly, China exploits economic 立. Africa and Asia. Secondly, the level (aspects) of sharp power perforation includes: political,. ‧ 國. 學. incentive (markets) to expand its global influence and to eliminate criticism. As specified by Walker and Ludwig (2017, p.6), “what we have to date understand as. ‧. authoritarian ‘soft power’ is better categorized as ‘sharp power’ that pierces, penetrates, or. Nat. sit. y. perforates the political and information environments in the targeted countries”. In the. n. al. er. io. other article by the two authors on Foreign Affairs, the definition is also used consistently. i n U. v. and more attributes are added on top of it, including how sharp power produces distraction,. Ch. engchi. manipulation, self-censor, suppressing, co-optation, exploit, inoculate, subversion and so forth behavior characteristics. Equivalent description can also be seen in the Economist (Economist, 2017a; 2017b). Furthermore, when the concept of sharp power is based on this definition and repeatedly quoted or discussed by different units (media, scholar, individual…), the concept gradually spawned more negative attributes, including threats, coercion, disinformation, bullying, intimidate and so on. Surprisingly, these reports and articles have the same content as the news collected, which almost coincided with the description of China’s sharp power. 30. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(39) d means of Chinese development of sharp power. Simultaneously, it is hoped that by straightening out the cases, point out the loophole where the country is threatened by foreign forces, the government can exert its state power to resist further subversion. In society, the mass population should also have a better understanding on national defense, prevent Taiwan from further subversive actions.. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 31. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(40) Table 1 Integration of Chinese Sharp Power Behaviors Political. •. Snatch diplomatic allies: compressed international space, perish recognition of ROC. Agents: bribe politician to issued statement favor China. Foreign political donations: outlawing money to influence domestic election. Political elites: who seek to attract Chinese money or attain greater recognition may support China even it contradicts national interests. Intervene law-making process: to comply with Chinese side of interests (e.g. Hong Kong Extradition Bill).. • • • •. Economic. • •. ‧ 國 •. ‧. Academic. 立. 政治大. 學. •. Economic dependence: intimidation to publisher or corporation from criticizing China (loss Chinese market). Market incentive: use economic power as a weapon to achieve its ends (to export its totalitarian model oversea, “go with us or go home”). Policy: hope to attract professionals via high salaries (31 Incentives to Taiwan), may become China’s helper in the future.. sit. io. •. n. al. er. •. y. Nat. Chinese spy: academic exchange, but collecting information and affect psychological cognition (cultivate Chinese-friendly people). Sponsoring think tank: to lead research agenda and discussion (censorship on publication). Confucius Institutes: considered as vehicles for CCP propaganda and cover for political activities (e.g. Belt and Road Initiative). Penetrate oversea Chinese communities, student association, to gather information. Ban dissident scholars: intervening the universities personnel appointment.. • •. Media. • • • •. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Control media: eliminate criticism, shape favorable opinions. Mergers/invest newspaper or digital publication: set up English program to lead and shape image. Cyber army and content farm: against candidates during election, distribute fake information on social media (e.g. PTT, KKnews). Local media: fund/donate/invest/purchase local media to conduct infiltrating activities by disseminate biased information.. 32. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.

(41) Universal Rights. •. Human right: through economic factors (Chinese investment) to influence a country to Veto condemnation for it (e.g. Greece). Detaining foreigner or citizens for Rebellion reason based on their criticism to the CCP or religion (Xinjiang Re-education Camps, Tibet Re-education Camps). Religion freedom: influence religion groups to spread the “patriotic” thinking, and should be leaded and supervised by the government (Bureau of Religious Affairs and United Front Department). Unregistered religious groups are constantly subjected to various levels of persecution by authorities, including intimidation, harassment, and detention (e.g. Falun Gong are regarded as cult).. • •. •. 政治大 Through the collection and 立collation of the above literatures and news reports, there is. Source: organized by the author.. ‧ 國. 學. a debate presenting here required to be discussed and settled: many countries and elites believe that China’s sharp power is highly critical and needs to be confronted and repelled;. ‧. while, there are quite a few countries and elites who believe that China’s sharp power has. sit. y. Nat. little impacts, inversely, it even accelerates its domestic infrastructure and economic. n. al. er. io. development. Correspondingly, for Taiwan, does China’s sharp power have a substantial. v. impact? What are the impacts? And, if the impacts do exist, how should Taiwan deal with it?. Ch. engchi. i n U. 33. DOI:10.6814/NCCU202000179.