American Enterprise Institute scholar Gary Schmitt says that Taiwan’s government should regulate the ownership of Taiwanese media companies.

Schmitt was speaking Wednesday during a seminar in Washington on ways the US and Taiwan can work together to counter Chinese threats.

Schmitt said that some owners of Taiwanese media outlets have huge interests in China or receive subsidies from China. He said this means that their reporting can be distorted by Chinese influence.

Schmitt said that under the Taiwan Relations Act, the US must assist Taiwan handle threats. The Taiwan Relations Act is the cornerstone of Taiwan-US relations in the absence of official ties between the two sides.

Schmitt said that in the past, the emphasis was on Taiwan’s defense. However, he said that disinformation can be as devastating as a missile attack. He said another reason the US should help Taiwan is that Taiwan’s democracy is strategically vital to the United States’ liberalization of the Indo-Pacific region.