Numerous videos on KMT leadership race posted outside Taiwan: Security bureau

Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) The National Security Bureau (NSB) said Wednesday it has found hundreds of video clips on the upcoming chairmanship election of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) posted from online accounts outside the country.

Most of the 1,000-plus videos identified by the NSB are circulating on the Chinese version of TikTok, known as Douyin, NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) told reporters, when asked to comment on the complaints by some KMT chairman candidates that China is meddling in their party's leadership race.

Tsai said the security bureau had found over 200 related videos on YouTube, which were posted from 23 accounts, half of which were outside Taiwan.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a legislative session in Taipei, he declined to say whether any of those accounts were based in China.

On the question of which candidates the videos were plugging for, Tsai said it would be inappropriate to make that information public, in view of the KMT's impending chairmanship election on Oct. 18.

Over the past weeks, several candidates in the KMT leadership race have said that China has been meddling in the election campaign.

One of them, former National Taiwan University professor Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), on Monday openly accused one of his rivals, Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), of collaborating with Chinese AI teams to attack the candidates in the chairmanship election.

In response, a member of Cheng's campaign team Lee De-wei (李德維) said such accusations should be based on evidence rather than on hearsay.

A similar accusation was made against Cheng on Monday by media personality Jaw Shau-kong (趙少康), who once ran for vice president on the KMT ticket.

Jaw, who is an open supporter of KMT chairmanship candidate and former Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), said China was behind the videos, as part of its push for Cheng to win the election.

On Wednesday, the NSB chief did not give a direct answer when asked whether the wide circulation of the videos was proof of interference by "foreign, external forces."

He said some of the KMT candidates' campaigns have filed legal suits regarding the matter, and the police are investigating the claims.

However, it would be difficult to press charges if outside elements are found to be interfering in the internal elections of a Taiwan political party, given that the National Security Act and Anti-Infiltration Act do not cover those types of elections, Tsai said.

The Cabinet has proposed some amendments to the law to widen its scope, he said, adding that he hopes it will gain support across party lines when it is sent to the Legislature.