CECC Hearing: Witnesses Say PRC Uses 'Political Warfare' and Transnational Repression Against Taiwan and Diaspora

Chairman Senator Sullivan convened the Congressional‑Executive Commission on China hearing to examine what witnesses called a broad, coordinated campaign of political warfare and transnational repression by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) against Taiwan and members of the Taiwanese diaspora.

Why it matters: Witnesses said those tactics—ranging from disinformation and legal coercion to doxxing, overseas surveillance and the cultivation of local political actors—threaten Taiwan’s democracy, imperil Taiwanese and Chinese‑origin residents abroad and complicate U.S. and allied policymaking.

At the hearing, MP Fan, a member of the legislature of Taiwan (Democratic Progressive Party), described the lived consequences in Taipei and abroad: “This is the reality we live with, constantly being silenced by the PRC,” she said, recounting reported increases in espionage indictments and large‑scale disinformation campaigns.

Retired Rear Admiral Mike Studeman, a former director of intelligence at INDOPACOM, characterized Beijing’s campaign as comprehensive. “Beijing’s political warfare efforts are relentless, pervasive, and all encompassing,” he told the commission, and outlined…