Chinese spouse convicted of aiding TPP, Ko campaign on Beijing's orders

New Taipei, Aug. 11 (CNA) China-born spouse Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) was sentenced to seven years in prison Tuesday after being convicted of campaigning for the Taiwan People's Party's (TPP) 2024 presidential ticket under instructions from Beijing, among other offenses.

The New Taipei District Court found that Xu began acting on directives in 2021 to support TPP candidates from Yang Wentao (楊文濤), director of the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs' Service Center for Cross-Strait Marriages and Families, and Sun Xian (孫憲), deputy head of the Shanghai branch of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang -- a satellite party aligned with the Chinese Communist Party.

According to the ruling, Xu, who headed an organization representing China-born spouses after naturalizing as Taiwanese, and Chung Chin-ming (鍾錦明), head of an association promoting cross-strait marriages, became acquainted with Yang and Sun during visits to China.

The court said Xu and Chung maintained regular contact with the two Chinese officials, routinely reporting on political developments in Taiwan.

It found that Yang instructed the pair in 2022 to support Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊), the TPP-backed candidate in Taipei's mayoral election who formerly served as Taipei deputy mayor under Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).

Xu and Chung subsequently organized a support network of foreign spouses for Huang's campaign, with Chung serving as its leader, the ruling said.

After Huang lost the election, Sun instructed Xu to maintain ties with Huang and build a relationship with then-TPP Chairman Ko, who was preparing to stand in the 2024 presidential election.

Ko later appointed Xu to head the TPP's Department of New Immigrants and intended to include her on the party's list of at-large legislative nominees for the 2024 Legislative Yuan election. She later declined inclusion on the party list amid controversy over whether she could renounce her Chinese citizenship, a practice not permitted by the Chinese authorities.

The court said Xu consulted with Yang and Sun to confirm that supporting Ko was consistent with Beijing's position. She was instructed by the pair to "seek a favorable position on the TPP's party list for at-large legislators" while mobilizing support for Ko's presidential campaign.

The court sentenced Xu to two years in prison for violating the Anti-Infiltration Act by campaigning for a mayoral candidate under the direction of an infiltration source. Chung also received a two-year term on that count.

Xu was also sentenced to two years and two months for campaigning for a presidential candidate under instructions from an infiltration source and promoting the campaign through media appearances.

Separately, she received one year and four months for arranging Sun's 10-day October 2025 visit to Taiwan by using a shell company to fraudulently issue invitation documents under the guise of business exchanges.

She was also sentenced to one year and eight months for illegal foreign exchange operations and one year and five months for obtaining bank loans by submitting fraudulent documents.

The court combined the sentences into a total prison term of seven years. Prosecutors had sought a prison term in excess of 20 years.

The ruling can be appealed.

Xu was detained incommunicado in November 2025 before being released on bail in June. She did not appear in court on Tuesday.

During the trial, Xu admitted the loan fraud and illegal foreign exchange charges but denied violating the Anti-Infiltration Act or concealing the purpose of Sun Xian's visit to Taiwan.

TPP response

In response to the court ruling, TPP spokesperson Chang Tung (張彤) said the party strongly condemned interference by hostile external forces in Taiwan's democratic elections and had no prior knowledge of Xu's "private acts."

However, Chang questioned the basis for the court's conclusion that Xu had campaigned for Ko under Beijing's instructions.

Chang also rejected the court's finding that Xu had been instructed by Beijing to seek a place on the TPP's party list for at-large legislators, calling it a politically motivated attempt to "red-tag" the party and describing it as deeply regrettable.