Psychological Warfare: From Kinmen Broadcasting Walls to the Paradigm Shift of AI Cognitive Operations

30-Second Overview:
Cross-strait "psychological warfare" (psychological operations) is undergoing a fundamental transformation from "physical media" to "digital semantics." In the 1960s-1980s, Taiwan conducted incentive offensives against mainland China using the Beishan Broadcasting Wall in Kinmen, Deng Lijun's warm appeals, and aerial drops containing "surrender food" such as pineapple cakes, instant noodles, and even underwear ^{1 2 3}. Entering 2024-2026, the offensive and defensive positions have shifted; mainland China has turned to "AI industrialized cognitive warfare," while Taiwan has shifted to using digital penetration power for "democratic value dissemination" and "information asymmetry counterattacks" ^{4 5 6}. This is a long-term evolution from competing for "stomachs" to competing for "brain cognition" and "value identity."

Voices and Stomachs: Historical Details of Taiwan's Psychological Warfare Against China

At the peak of the Cold War confrontation, Taiwan's psychological warfare strategy against mainland China was built on the foundation of "living standard gaps" and "political freedom incentives." This was a highly physical-contact-dependent "heart-capturing" process.

Radio Warfare: More Than Just Deng Lijun's Voice

Kinmen's Mashan Observation Post and Beishan Broadcasting Wall were the concrete embodiments of sonic weapons at that time ¹. In addition to Deng Lijun's "Sweet Honey," the radio programs of the era had strong targeting:

• Specific Programs and Call Signs: The Radio Free Asia (RFA) broadcast call signs for mainland China included "Voice of Free China" (Voice of Free China). Program content covered "Reward Measures for Defection and Uprising," real-time news from Taiwan, and commentary on the chaotic situation of the Cultural Revolution ².
• Defection and Uprising Phase: Broadcasts repeatedly reported "Surrender Navigation Directions" and "Landing Signals," providing detailed guidance on how mainland pilots should fly to Taoyuan or Ching Chuan Kang Air Force Bases, promising rewards of thousands to tens of thousands of taels of gold ⁷.
• Psychological Anchors: Utilizing mainland citizens' longing for "home," warm broadcasts were played during festivals, contrasting the quality of life across the strait, making "fleeing to freedom" a concrete life choice.

Aerial Drop Object List: A Precise "Lifestyle" Display

Aerial drop operations were not merely about distributing leaflets; they were a visual and material exhibition about "modern life."

📝 Curator's Note: The "instant noodles" in the aerial drops were a highly shocking symbol in mainland China at that time. This industrial product, which could be eaten immediately upon opening and came with multiple seasoning packets, represented an unimaginable "efficiency" and "abundance" to mainland citizens still under the rationing system.

Modern Evolution: Taiwan's Digital Penetration Strategy Against China

Entering 2026, traditional balloons and loudspeakers have moved to the background. Taiwan's psychological warfare against China has shifted to utilizing digital penetration power and information asymmetry for counterattacks.

"Value Psychological Warfare" Penetrating the Firewall

Taiwan utilizes the communication power of its free society to penetrate China's information control network. This is no longer simple "surrender incentives," but "cognitive enlightenment":

• Social Media Penetration: Through platforms like X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and Telegram, Taiwan's civil society and government cooperate to disseminate information about democratic operations, social welfare, and the re-dissemination of blocked information within mainland China ⁶.
• Digital Democracy Wall: Utilizing blockchain technology or decentralized storage to preserve records of protests deleted within mainland China (such as records of the White Paper Movement), positioning Taiwan as a "backup repository for Chinese-language democracy," which itself is a powerful psychological demonstration.

Counterattacks Against Cognitive Warfare

When China uses AI-generated disinformation to attack Taiwan, Taiwan's psychological warfare units (such as the Psychological Warfare Brigade) have also shifted to "defensive psychological warfare" and "exposure-type psychological warfare":

• Exposure Mechanisms: Rapidly using AI identification tools to dismantle CCP deepfake videos (such as the fake doctor case in 2025) and creating summary guides to reverse-push back into the mainland Chinese cyberspace, undermining their official credibility ^{4 10}.
• Utilization of Information Asymmetry: Targeting social contradictions within mainland China (such as youth unemployment, economic decline), disseminating true international financial analysis and comparative data, shaking mainland citizens' confidence in the narrative of "great power rise."

Paradigm Shift: From "Incentives" to "Identity"

Comparing history and modernity, the essence of psychological warfare has undergone a profound displacement:

1. Media Transformation: From physical balloons and loudspeakers to digital algorithms, encrypted communications, and AI.
2. Target Shift: Historical psychological warfare aimed to "attract defection" (individual breakthrough); modern psychological warfare aims to "export identity" and "guard truth" (collective enlightenment).
3. Convergence of Defense and Offense: In the digital age, defending against disinformation is simultaneously an "offensive of true information" against the adversary.

📝 Curator's Note: In the past, we exchanged "pineapple cakes" for the enemy soldier's stomach; now we exchange "facts and transparency" for the skepticism of the mainland population towards the authoritarian system. The defense line has retreated from Kinmen's beaches to every packet in cyberspace.

Conclusion: Building a New Line of Resilience

Psychological warfare has never disappeared; it has only changed its shell. From the history of the Kinmen Broadcasting Wall, we learn the power of voice; in the challenges of modern AI and information warfare, we must learn how to utilize "truth" as the most powerful psychological warfare weapon. Taiwan, as the democratic lighthouse of the Chinese-speaking world, its existence itself is the most powerful psychological warfare against authoritarian systems.

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