A 25-minute investigative documentary aired by Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV has shed some light on how pro-unification groups operate in Taiwan, including by reportedly paying people to attend events and asking the police for the names of independence advocates.
The documentary was produced by Lynn Lee (李成琳) and seeks to draw attention to activities of pro-unification groups in Taiwan, most notably the Concentric Patriotism Association (CPA, 愛國同心會) and the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP), whose members have grabbed headlines by attacking independence advocates and Falun Gong members staging a sit-in outside Taipei 101.
The network sent an undercover reporter posing as a Chinese visitor to Taiwan in an attempt to infiltrate the CPA.
Photo: Chen Wei-tse, Taipei Times
During the reporter’s conversations with CPA executive director Zhang Xiuye (張秀葉), a Chinese immigrant, Zhang told him that the association paid people between NT$800 and NT$900 per day to wave the national flag of the People’s Republic of China.
Zhang told the reporter that it is illegal to take money from China, but it is legal to accept money from China-based Taiwanese businesspeople, such as CPA head Zhou Qinjun (周慶峻), who she said would often receive “special care” from the Chinese government.
“Authorities in China know which businesses support unification and they will do their best to make sure you do not lose money,” Zhang told the reporter.
The CPA is very careful when recruiting people, requesting that they show their Chinese identification cards, apparently out of fear that members might disclose its activities to outsiders, the documentary said.
“I don’t trust Taiwanese. I only trust Chinese, because as Chinese we all have relatives in China,” Zhou said. “You cannot disclose what we do here to outsiders. If you do that, you might not be affected, but your relatives in China will get hurt.”
The researcher also filmed a telephone conversation between Zhou and what appeared to be a Taiwanese police officer, in which the CPA head asked the officer for a list of names of people who support independence at his precinct.
“First, I hope to get a list of independence supporters. Second, I’m sending him a warning: Don’t think about being pro-independence or I’ll come after you,” Zhou said after the telephone call.
As for the operations of the CUPP, a CPA member said that triads were using the party to “whitewash” their reputations.
“Right now, all kinds of triads are in the CUPP. Why have they joined the party? There is only one reason: to whitewash their reputations,” the member said. “They can have a sign that says they’re a CUPP branch office, but inside it is a triad branch.”
CUPP founder Chang An-le (張安樂), the former Bamboo Union (竹聯幫) gang leader known as the “White Wolf,” is facing investigations for allegedly receiving funding from China to carry out destabilizing activities in Taiwan.
When contacted yesterday, National Police Agency officials said they needed to verify the details of the al-Jazeera report and could not yet respond to the allegations.
Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said that while Taiwan is a democratic and free nation where different political stances are respected, the council opposes the use of violence or coercive means for any political causes.
Additional reporting by Jason Pan
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
RSS