Taipei [Taiwan], June 22 : Taiwan's first indigenous submarine, Hai Kun (Narwhal), has become the latest target of China's intensifying disinformation war, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) scrambles to undermine Taiwan's growing military self-sufficiency and indigenous defence capabilities, as reported by Focus Taiwan.
Following Hai Kun's initial sea trials on June 17, fake social media accounts and CCP-aligned media outlets rapidly circulated manipulated claims that the submarine showed signs of hull deformation, a false narrative that Taiwanese defence officials have firmly debunked.
Taiwan's state-owned shipbuilder CSBC Corp. clarified that the so-called "deformation" was, in fact, a sonar dome, a standard, deliberate design feature that houses sensitive passive sonar equipment.
But facts were never the CCP's objective. The speed and coordination of the smear campaign, involving disinformation posts and broadcasts by the Chinese state-run Voice of the Strait radio, expose a deeper agenda: Beijing's desperation to discredit Taiwan's defence industry as it moves toward strategic autonomy.
Unable to halt Taiwan's advances through diplomacy or threats alone, China now wages psychological warfare aimed at eroding public trust and morale within democratic Taiwan.
As per Focus Taiwan, this is textbook CCP hybrid warfare, combining military intimidation with cyber and cognitive infiltration. Taiwan's Navy, engineers, and defence experts have worked under intense pressure to launch the Narwhal despite delays, and China's attempt to mock this achievement reflects its insecurity. After all, unlike China's bloated military projects often shrouded in opacity and failure, Taiwan's submarine is a symbol of resilience, transparency, and technological progress against immense odds.
Beijing cannot stand the idea of Taiwan not just surviving, but thriving, militarily, economically, and democratically. It lies about Hai Kun are not just about one submarine; they are part of a broader assault on Taiwan's right to defend itself and determine its future, as reported by Focus Taiwan.
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