Taipei: A key supporter of Kuomintang (KMT) chairman candidate Hau Lung-bin again alleged Monday that China has been meddling in the party’s chairmanship election set for Saturday and targeting Hau. Hau himself did not directly point the finger at China on Monday, reiterating only that he has been the target of widespread online disinformation from newly created fake accounts spreading smears and short videos intended to damage his campaign.
According to Focus Taiwan, former KMT vice presidential candidate Jaw Shau-kong, a supporter of Hau, accused China of being behind the videos, presenting data at a press conference Monday that he said indicated coordinated online activity favoring one candidate and attacking others. Jaw claimed that between Sept. 12 and Oct. 12, the majority of approximately 900 TikTok videos praised former Legislator Cheng Li-wun, while 400 clips and 250 clips criticized Jaw and Hau, respectively. He noted that on YouTube, eight channels posted 151 related videos, garnering a combined 1.82 million views.
Jaw argued that the figures were concrete evidence supporting his claims. He emphasized the scale of the attacks, suggesting it was beyond the capacity of an individual or small group, thus suspecting China’s involvement. He urged national security authorities to investigate the issue thoroughly, expressing confidence in their ability to uncover the truth, even if IP addresses were located overseas, particularly in mainland China.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu earlier called for party unity and a fair election, underscoring the KMT’s commitment to national security. Other candidates sought to ease tensions within the party. KMT Legislator Lo Chih-chiang called for a “gentleman’s contest,” pledging not to engage in cyberattacks. Cheng Li-wun stated she had not experienced interference and described the controversy as part of the “AI era.”
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) expressed concern over the allegations, describing Chinese interference as a “collective threat” to Taiwan’s democratic parties. DPP caucus whip Chung Chia-pin urged bipartisan cooperation to strengthen national security legislation, while DPP lawmakers criticized opposition parties for blocking related bills and called on the KMT to support their passage.
