DPP warns China of election interference, lists seven violations, urges public to defend democracy.

As Taiwan’s year-end major local public-office elections approach, the race is heating up, alongside growing concerns that foreign forces are attempting to influence Taiwan’s democratic elections through various intricate channels. In response to China’s interference in Taiwan's elections potentially entering its peak period, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Department of China Affairs held a press conference today to publicly issue a warning to the general public. The party department specifically conducted a comprehensive review of the increasingly covert patterns of united front work and election interference that have emerged endlessly in recent years, concretely compiling seven common illegal behaviors associated with China's intervention in Taiwan's elections. The DPP solemnly called on all citizens to maintain a high degree of vigilance and avoid violating the law due to momentary greed or exploitation, joining hands to safeguard Taiwan’s hard-won democratic and free system.

During this high-profile press conference, the DPP's China Department detailed the seven illegal patterns of cooperating with Chinese election interference, covering multiple aspects such as travel hospitality, landing reception, dissemination of misinformation and disinformation, illegal political contributions, and underground remittances. Among them, the one that has garnered the most social attention involves accepting instructions, funding, or commission from Chinese party, government, or military-related institutions to recruit grassroots Taiwanese citizens to form groups for exchange tours to the Chinese mainland, while receiving free or disproportionately low-cost food, lodging, and transportation hospitality during the itinerary. These activities, commonly known as "united front groups" or "election-interference tour groups," are often accompanied during visits by recommendations for specific candidates or the solicitation of political stances, which substantially constitutes a serious interference in the fairness of Taiwan's elections and further involves complex cash flows and organizational mobilization behind the scenes.

Regarding these potentially unlawful behaviors, the DPP specifically cited the relevant legal provisions currently in force in Taiwan, emphasizing that judicial organs will show no leniency toward crimes that obstruct elections and national security. According to Taiwan's current Anti-Infiltration Act, the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act, the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, and other related regulations, if citizens accept instructions, commissions, or funding from foreign hostile forces to engage in activities such as disrupting election rallies, vote-buying, distributing "walking-around money" (transportation subsidies), or spreading untrue election rumors, they will face extremely severe criminal penalties. The DPP specifically pointed out that in the most severe cases, related illegal acts can carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, along with heavy cumulative fines. Such penalties not only demonstrate the state's firm determination to maintain the democratic constitutional order, but also issue the strongest legal warning to all individuals attempting to opportunistically assist foreign forces in interfering in Taiwan's internal affairs.

From a broader political and social background, China's interference in Taiwan's democratic elections is by no means a new phenomenon, but its methods have evolved with technological advancements and the complex cross-strait exchanges. In the past, the Chinese Communist Party's election interference may have mostly stopped at traditional military threats or verbal intimidation, but in recent years it has gradually shifted toward a comprehensive "soft and hard" strategy. It particularly capitalizes on the open, pluralistic, and information-flowing characteristics of Taiwanese society to conduct precise cognitive warfare and organizational mobilization through economic incentives, grassroots organizational networking, and digital internet platforms. This "bottom-up" infiltration method penetrates deep into Taiwan's village and neighborhood wardens, civic associations, religious groups, and even young students and local public representatives, attempting to internally dismantle Taiwanese society's confidence in the democratic system and play a role in swaying election outcomes at critical electoral moments.

Faced with the overwhelming pressure of election interference from foreign forces, Taiwan's democratic defense mechanisms have also been continuously upgraded and perfected in recent years. In addition to administrative departments continuously strengthening the investigation and suppression of vote-buying and violence by prosecutorial, investigative, and police agencies, and strictly investigating the flows of foreign funds and fake news, the DPP's proactive review and publication of the seven illegal behaviors this time is primarily intended to mobilize the total social defense line through the power of a political party. The ruling party appealed that safeguarding Taiwan's democracy and freedom cannot rely solely on government investigations and crackdowns; it also requires every citizen to build robust legal concepts and media literacy in daily life. Facing free hospitality of unknown origin, excessively generous exchange visits, or unverified inflammatory remarks on the internet, the public should maintain skepticism and proactively report to relevant units. Only when all citizens build a high degree of self-defense awareness can the black hands attempting to interfere in Taiwan's democracy truly find no room to exploit.