TAIPEI: More than 10,000 Taiwanese people participated in religious activities in China in 2024 with support from the government in Beijing, a study showed, which Taipei views as part of a campaign by China to win hearts and minds on the island.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to the island, subjecting it to almost daily military drills while reaching out to those it believes are receptive to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwan’s government says the Republic of China is a sovereign state and Beijing has no right to speak for or represent it.
About 10,496 Taiwanese last year joined more than 110 religious trips to China, supported or organised by government units across China, according to the study by IORG, a Taiwan-based non-governmental organisation.
IORG said the report, which was published late on Wednesday, revealed for the first time the scale of the Chinese campaign. Reuters has previously reported that China uses religion as a tool to influence elections in Taiwan.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office and Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Security officials in Taiwan are wary of what they see as a Beijing influence campaign using religions that are hugely important to Taiwanese life but tightly controlled by the officially atheist ruling Chinese Communist Party.
China officially guarantees freedom of religion, but only under the leadership of the party.
