Public prosecutors yesterday indicted a Taiwanese and a Chinese national on charges of funneling money from Chinese sources to fund a Labor Party candidate running for New Taipei City councilor in 2022’s local elections.
New Taipei City prosecutors charged Sun Chih-chuan (孫志全), deputy chairman of the Taiwan-based Chinese Youth Development Union, and Dong Dachi (董笪琦), a Chinese executive at the Federation of Hong Kong Jiangsu Youth, with contravening the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) and the Political Donations Act (政治獻金法).
Evidence indicated that Sun and Dong, using a complex route to hide the Chinese source of funding, transferred about NT$430,000 to fund the election campaign of Wang Cheng (王正), the pro-China unification Labor Party candidate, prosecutors said in a filing.
Photo: Wang Ting-chuan, Taipei Times
Sun and Dong are listed as suspects who allegedly made illegal election donations, promoted infiltration by foreign hostile forces (usually referred to as those based in China and Hong Kong), worked to subvert Taiwan’s national security and social stability, and undermined Taiwan’s sovereignty and democratic constitutional order, as stipulated in the Anti-Infiltration Act.
Prosecutors have also filed separate charges against Wang and his sister Wang Li (王立), accusing them of breaching the Political Donations Act by facilitating and accepting money from Chinese sources.
An investigation showed that Sun and Dong allegedly colluded to transfer 100,000 yuan (US$13,895 at the current exchange rate) in September 2022, with the money coming from Sun’s father-in-law, who owns a trading company. The money was listed on the company’s books as payment for procurement of chemical materials, but it went to Dong’s bank account in Hong Kong. Dong then wired the money to Wang Li to fund for her brother’s election campaign, investigators said.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a