Taiwan lawmakers call for bipartisan action to counter China's election interference

Taipei [Taiwan] October 12 : Lawmakers from Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have urged cooperation with the opposition to tighten national security laws amid growing evidence of Chinese interference in domestic political processes.

The appeal came after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) alleged that China was meddling in its upcoming chairperson election, as reported by Taipei Times.

According to Taipei Times, KMT chairperson hopeful and former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin claimed in a Facebook post that "external cyber forces" were attempting to influence the party's internal polls.

Former Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong accused China of orchestrating the interference and demanded a formal national security probe.

DPP legislator Rosalia Wu said that the ruling party had long been the main target of China's cognitive and information warfare, which often benefits the KMT during national campaigns. She added that with the KMT now also facing manipulation, both sides should recognise the seriousness of the issue and jointly strengthen Taiwan's legal framework on national security.

Her colleague, DPP lawmaker Chen Kuan-ting, noted that for years, warnings about Chinese infiltration were dismissed as politically motivated or exaggerated.

However, he said, the KMT's own experience now validates that these threats are real and growing. "When even KMT members acknowledge interference, the danger is no longer hypothetical; it's factual," Chen stated.

Chen emphasised that while political disagreements will persist, all Taiwanese parties must unite to defend the country's democratic institutions.

He called for the creation of a "digital democratic safety net" to combat disinformation and improve public awareness. Strengthening internal mechanisms within political parties, he added, would help prevent future exploitation by external actors, as cited by Taipei Times.

Ho Cheng-hui, deputy secretary-general of the Taiwan National Security Institute, stated that China has used fabricated opinion polls, social media manipulation, and online propaganda to shape political narratives. Without robust countermeasures, he warned, Taiwan's democracy could face deeper infiltration and distortion, as reported by Taipei Times.

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