Former lawmaker indicted over alleged China-led election interference

Taipei, Feb. 13 (CNA) A former Taiwanese lawmaker was indicted for violations of Taiwan's Anti-Infiltration Act on Wednesday over allegedly helping Beijing interfere in Taiwan's 2024 presidential election, according to prosecutors on Thursday.

Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) is accused of taking instructions from Chinese nationals connected to China's government in June 2023 to boost the popularity of Taiwanese business tycoon Terry Gou (郭台銘), who at that time had been a contender to run as Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate in the following year's election.

According to a statement from Kaohsiung City's Ciaotou District Prosecutors Office, Chang "clearly knew" that the KMT had selected New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) as its candidate in May 2023, but was instructed by Chinese "sources of infiltration" to raise Gou's profile in an attempt to replace Hou with Gou on the opposition party's presidential ticket.

Chang, who represented Kaohsiung's No. 1 Electoral District between 2005 and 2008 for the pro-unification People First Party and served as special deputy head of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council between 2013 and 2014 under Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) KMT-led administration, held events to promote Gou at Beijing's behest, the prosecutors alleged.

According to the prosecutors' statement, Chang told the press at a political event he organized on Aug. 4, 2023, that the KMT would have a better chance of defeating the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) if Gou, rather than Hou, paired with then-leader of Taiwan's People's Party (TPP) Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on a joint presidential ticket.

On Sept. 6, 2023, Chang electronically signed a document titled "Variables and Possible Developments in the 2024 Taiwan Presidential Election" and gave the document to high-ranking Chinese government officials, the prosecutors said.

The prosecutors further allege that Chang traveled on Sept. 11, 2023, to Beijing where he met Wang Huning (王滬寧), chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, and other leading members of the Chinese Communist Party to "confirm the practical plan of Terry Gou running for president" as a means of "interfering in Taiwan's presidential election."

In any event, talks between the KMT and TPP over holding a joint ticket broke down in November 2023, and the DPP won the January 2024 presidential election with 40 percent of the popular vote, compared with the KMT's 33 percent and the TPP's 26 percent, according to Taiwan's Central Election Commission (CEC).

Gou, who founded Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn, dropped out of the presidential contest as an independent candidate in November 2023 after failing to secure the KMT's nomination earlier in the year.

According to the prosecutor's statement on Thursday, the Kaohsiung investigators discovered Chang's alleged criminal activity while investigating Hsu Shao-tung (徐少東), a politician associated with the small pro-unification For Public Good Party, on suspected offenses under Taiwan's Anti-Infiltration Act.

Chang violated Article 4 of the Anti-Infiltration Act and Article 43 of the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act, the prosecutors' statement said, through the criminal acts of "receiving instructions from sources of infiltration" to "commission public speeches, convene press conferences and use the media to support and promote a presidential candidate."

If found guilty under Article 4 of the Anti-Infiltration Act, Chang could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.