TPP-linked Chinese spouse indicted for Anti-Infiltration Act violations

Taipei, March 24 (CNA) Xu Chunying (徐春鶯), the China-born chair of a Taiwanese new immigrants organization and political activist, was indicted by prosecutors Tuesday for violations of the Anti-Infiltration Act and financial crimes.

In its indictment, the New Taipei District Prosecutors' Office said that after moving to Taiwan in 1998, Xu became chair of the Taiwan New Immigrants Development Association.

Together with Chung Chin-ming (鍾錦明), the head of a Taiwanese organization that promotes cross-strait marriages, Xu began frequently traveling to China under the pretext of providing services for Chinese spouses, prosecutors said.

On those trips, Xu met Yang Wentao (楊文濤), director of the Service Center for Cross-Strait Marriages and Families under China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, and Sun Xian (孫憲), deputy head of the Shanghai branch of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, whom she began regularly reporting to on Taiwanese politics and elections, prosecutors said.

According to the indictment, Xu was frustrated with the Kuomintang (KMT) for not picking Chinese spouses for safe spots on their at-large legislator list, or shortening the time requirement for Chinese spouses to obtain citizenship.

In 2022, she noted in a report to Yang that Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) was running for Taipei mayor as an independent, and, with Yang's support, began organizing other Chinese spouses to campaign for Huang.

In the run-up to the 2024 national elections, Sun asked Xu to stay in contact with Huang, who was by then a member of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP).

There were reports at the time that Xu herself was being considered for the TPP's at-large legislator list, though she ultimately declined to be nominated.

Later, when Xu learned that TPP presidential nominee Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was interested in launching a group for Chinese spouses that supported his candidacy, Xu reported it to Yang, and began rallying support for Ko.

Prosecutors argued that these actions violated the Anti-Infiltration Act, a 2020 law that prohibits conducting various types of political activities at the instruction of or with financial support from "hostile foreign forces" such as China.

Prosecutors alleged that Xu also "expressed her loyalty" to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in communications with Yang and Sun, citing one message in which she said she was "not blue ... or green" but "red."

Blue and green are the colors of Taiwan's two largest political parties, the KMT and Democratic Progressive Party, while red refers to the CCP.

Xu was also charged with violations of the Banking Act, and with fraud and forgery under the Criminal Code.

According to the indictment, Xu operated an illegal underground currency exchange between 2020 and 2025, earning NT$240,000 (US$7,508) in illicit profits for changing NT$28.75 million in Taiwan dollars, renminbi and U.S. dollars.

In order to apply for a mortgage in her daughter's name, Xu had a company owned by her friend, surnamed Lo (羅), take out labor insurance in Xu's daughter's name and provide false employment certificates. These were later used in an application to obtain a NT$26.97 million loan, prosecutors said.