Taipei, Nov. 1 -- China is reportedly manipulating religious exchanges and matchmaking programs to subtly infiltrate Taiwan's society and sway public sentiment, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung told lawmakers, as reported by The Taipei Times.

According to The Taipei Times, during a recent session of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chen Chun-yu cited findings from the Taiwan Information Environment Research Center, revealing that more than 16,000 Taiwanese citizens participated in cross-strait matchmaking activities organised by religious groups in China last year.

Most of these gatherings reportedly took place in Fuj...