A recent NBC report revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted classified briefings for U.S. Congress members, warning them of a potential disinformation campaign by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The alleged scheme involved fabricating claims that Congress members receive bribes from Taiwan in exchange for their pro-Taiwan stances.
While this tactic, according to the report, has not yet been put to use, considering the “defensive” nature of the briefings, similar narratives have long permeated Chinese-language propaganda. Chinese state media Xinhua accuses Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of squandering public funds to influence U.S. policymakers. CPPCC Daily, another major Chinese outlet, further alleges Taiwan engages in “propaganda bribery,” targeting foreign legislators, think tanks, officials, and media.
A Historical Context of Taiwan’s Lobbying Efforts
Taiwan’s practice of hiring public relations firms to strengthen its ties with Washington is neither new nor unusual. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Kuomintang (KMT) government employed public relations figures like Sidney Baron and later enlisted lobbyists such as Peter Hannaford to advocate for restoring Taiwan-U.S. diplomatic relations. During President Lee Teng-hui’s administration, Cassidy & Associates were hired to support Lee’s U.S. visit in 1995. The DPP continued this approach after coming to power in 2000, working with firms like BGR Group to enhance Taiwan’s visibility in U.S. policy circles.
These activities, regulated under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), are standard diplomatic practices and are common for nations – including China, which spends significantly on foreign lobbying. For Taiwan, these efforts are crucial given its challenging international environment and reliance on U.S. support. However, Chinese propaganda portrays Taiwan’s lobbying as wasteful and self-serving, alleging it benefits American politicians and the DPP rather than Taiwanese people. Such claims resurface whenever Taiwan achieves breakthroughs in its U.S. relationship under the DPP government, with China’s state media dismissing progress in the bilateral relations as transactional and opportunistic rather than “value-based” or “rock solid.”
Propaganda Framing: Taiwan Pays for U.S. Support
Chinese Communist Party narratives often suggest that U.S. support for Taiwan stems from financial incentives rather than shared democratic values. Chinese media outlets like CCTV claimed Taiwan’s representative office in Washington employs firms like Empire Consulting Group to sway legislators on issues such as Taiwan’s inclusion in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). Similarly, members of the Taiwan Caucus in the U.S. Congress are accused of receiving lobbying-driven donations to advocate for Taiwan.
Visits by U.S. lawmakers to Taiwan are another target of these narratives. Chinese media alleged that members of the Taiwan Caucus urged U.S. President Joe Biden to stop in Taiwan during his May 2022 Asia tour due to financial incentives from Taiwan. Following then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s landmark visit in August 2022, the overseas edition of People’s Daily, the CCP’s official newspaper, suggested Senator Ed Markey’s delegation was similarly motivated by financial support from the DPP.
After Representative Mike Gallagher’s delegation visited Taiwan in February 2024 – which coincided with a maritime clash between China and Taiwan – Chinese outlets branded the delegation as “guardian angels” hired by the DPP to maintain long-term quid pro quo relationships.
Chinese media also accuses Taiwan of funding U.S. think tanks to spread the “China threat theory” and pro-Taiwan narratives. The Project 2049 Institute, a Washington-based think tank, was allegedly funded by the DPP to produce reports critical of China’s military threat. When Taiwan’s then-President Tsai Ing-wen received the Hudson Institute’s Global Leadership Award in March 2023, Chinese media questioned whether the award was a return for donations from the Taiwanese government.
U.S. Politicians in Taiwan: Business Interests or Values?
Chinese propaganda often attributes U.S. politicians’ visits to Taiwan to personal business interests. For example, Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s 2022 visit was framed by China’s Global Times as an attempt to secure Taiwanese investment in a private equity fund. Similarly, Senator Lindsey Graham’s 2022 visit was criticized as a push to boost Boeing sales benefitting his district.
A recurring theme in CCP narratives is the portrayal of U.S. politicians as agents for arms manufacturers. Chinese media linked former Senator Chris Dodd’s 2021 visit to Taiwan’s purchase of M109A6 self-propelled howitzers, while delegations led by Senator John Cornyn and former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, with ties to the defense industry, were accused of promoting U.S. arms sales. Even then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s rumored visit to Taiwan in 2023 was framed as a lobbying effort for defense contractors.
Many of these narratives were prominent during Pelosi’s Taiwan visit. Chinese media claimed that the DPP had spent taxpayer money for years arranging Pelosi’s meetings with Tsai and then-Vice President (and now President) Lai Ching-te. After the visit, CCTV alleged that the DPP hired a lobbyist close to Pelosi to facilitate the trip. Guangming Daily, a CCP outlet, further asserted that Pelosi’s visit aimed to create a cross-strait crisis to legitimize the CHIPS and Science Act, which she had helped pass, suggesting it could attract donations from U.S. semiconductor firms benefiting from the legislation.
Voices That Enable CCP Propaganda
In addition to directly attacking Taiwanese authorities and U.S. politicians, CCP propagandists also quote other sources to strengthen their claims. They frequently report the views of Taiwanese netizens or media to “use Taiwanese voices to attack Taiwan.” For instance, Chinese media highlight comments by Taiwanese netizens suggesting visiting U.S. politicians were incentivized by Taiwanese money.
CCP outlet China Daily quoted an anonymous “netizen” who claimed to “disclose” a contract signed by the DPP with Gephardt Group Government Affairs since 2018, purportedly leading to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. Global Times quoted Taiwanese media alleging that U.S. Congress members’ support for Taiwan begins only after lobbying efforts initiated by Taiwanese representatives.
Pro-Beijing Taiwanese politicians are also commonly cited in Chinese media. Hung Hsiu-chu, a former KMT chair, argued that pro-Taiwan legislation in Congress was the result of DPP funding. Tseng Ming-chung, the KMT’s caucus whip, demanded the Taiwanese government address the question of whether Pelosi’s visit was driven by corporate interests. KMT legislator Wu Sz-huai questioned whether the United States would pressure Taiwan into procuring unnecessary defense articles after Esper’s visit. KMT legislator Lee De-wei criticized foreign visitors, claiming they only encourage Taiwan to buy planes, weapons, and sell chips while showing no genuine intent to invest in Taiwan.
CCP propagandists also cite international media or U.S. politicians to reinforce their claims. Chinese media pointed to MintPress News, which alleged that Taiwan funds U.S. think tanks to craft pro-Taiwan and anti-China discourse. Likewise, CCTV amplified Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s tweet accusing Pelosi of risking conflict with China during her Taiwan visit for her husband’s personal portfolio gains.
Taiwan-U.S. Relations Undermined
In response to these narratives, the Taiwanese government asserts that hiring public relations firms is a routine and necessary diplomatic practice. It also works to address malicious disinformation. The Prospect Foundation, which hosted Pompeo’s 2022 visit to Taiwan, emphasized that inviting retired officials through such firms is standard. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that these efforts are long-standing and unrelated to specific events, such as Pelosi’s visit.
Additionally, some reports have been exposed as fabrications. For example, claims that Taiwan’s representative office paid the Hudson Institute for Tsai’s award were found to involve fake documents. The “netizen” alleging a DPP lobbying contract with lobbyists close to Pelosi had a hacked account, currently under investigation by Taiwanese police.
Despite these clarifications, CCP propaganda continues accusing the DPP of wasting taxpayer money on U.S. politicians, stoking grievances among Taiwanese citizens. It portrays diplomatic efforts as DPP political grandstanding aimed at creating the illusion of solid Taiwan-U.S. relations, focused more on American politicians’ personal interests than genuine bilateral partnership.
From the U.S. political perspective, such narratives can fuel internal controversies that harm foreign relations. For instance, U.S. aid to Ukraine has been questioned due to allegations of Hunter Biden’s business ties to Ukraine. Similarly, accusations like the one regarding Pelosi’s Taiwan visit could foster public suspicion about politicians’ true motives, undermining public support for alliances and harming U.S. foreign policy.
In Taiwan, these narratives could become fodder for domestic political strife by associating legitimate diplomatic practices with potential corruption and eroding public trust. They may also cast doubt on U.S. politicians’ support for Taiwan as value-driven, instead framing it as purely self-serving. Such claims echo broader portrayals of the United States as prioritizing “interests over values” and the narrative of “U.S. skepticism,” suggesting that America would not help defend Taiwan despite its politicians’ supportive lip service.
The cynicism behind these narratives undermines Taiwan’s legitimate diplomatic practices, framing them as quid pro quo arrangements and casting Taiwan-U.S. relations as transactional rather than value-based. This erodes mutual trust among allies, hampers domestic consensus on foreign policy, and reduces these efforts to divisive political debates. When politics fails to stop at the water’s edge, authoritarian regimes exploit these divisions to weaken democratic solidarity.