A Chinese propaganda image dispersed during Monday’s military drills around Taiwan was supposed to send a positive message to the island’s people, but instead has been decried as weird, creepy, and akin to “sexual harassment”.
On Monday China targeted Taiwan with major military exercises, surrounding its main island and outer territories with planes and ships to practise a blockade and attack. Alongside a record number of warplanes, dozens of navy and coastguard vessels, and cyber-attacks, China also launched a torrent of propaganda.
Among video montages of soldiers rushing towards troop carriers, photos of captains staring through binoculars from the deck of a warship, and breathless editorials about “inevitable reunification”, one piece of media stood out: a love heart.
The illustration, widely shared online, depicted a satellite image of Taiwan’s main island, and a line of arrows tracking around it in the shape of a heart. Accompanying script – in the traditional Chinese characters used by Taiwan – read: “Hi my sweetheart” and “The patrol is in the shape of loving you.”
The image came from China’s coastguard, which ran what it called “law enforcement patrols” around Taiwan during Monday’s drills.
Taiwan’s coastguard officials decried the image as Chinese cognitive warfare and harassment. But it didn’t appear to have the desired impact on the Taiwanese population.
In local news the image prompted headlines. On social media it drew mostly ridicule and anger. People found the image “creepy”, and comment sections filled with vomit-emojis. Some likened the sentiment expressed to an abusive partner, while one newspaper called it “sexual harassment”.
Many were also perplexed by what appeared to be a reference to a 15-year-old Taiwanese TV drama, Hi My Sweetheart, long off the air. Some people surmised the reference was supposed to remind people of the show’s star, the local actor Rainie Yang, who has faced criticism in Taiwan for saying she is Chinese and for posting pro-China content online.
Past propaganda efforts have included crude animations of missiles striking major cities in Taiwan. In August 2022, during drills launched in retaliation for a visit by the US speaker, Nancy Pelosi, China was accused of hacking into monitors at Taiwanese train stations and convenience stores to display messages disparaging her.
