An investigative documentary aired by the Qatar-based al-Jazeera news channel has shed more light on shadowy political groups loyal to Beijing that operate in Taiwan, and lists some of their dubious tactics.
The report revealed that a common strategy used to promote anti-independence platforms is to pay people and hire lobbyists to attend events or organize mass petitions to sway public sentiment.
One group featured in the exposé is the Taipei-based Concentric Patriotism Association (CPA), whose members have previously stirred up trouble by assaulting pro-independence supporters and members of the Falun Gong — deemed by Beijing to be an “evil cult”.
Al-Jazeera sent an undercover reporter posing as a visitor from mainland China, and he was soon recruited by the CPA.
The executive director of the CPA, who also is from the mainland, told the reporter his group would pay people NT$800-900 (US$26-30) per day as an honorarium for tasks like waving the Chinese flag in the streets of Taipei and chanting anti-separatism slogans at pro-Beijing rallies regularly held in front of the island’s Presidential Palace.
The CPA reportedly gets money from middlemen, including the many Taiwanese business executives with firms on the mainland who are at the beck and call of Communist Party cadres. Money has to be sent through a circuitous route because Taiwanese security laws ban political groups from getting funds directly from the mainland. Some is reportedly transferred via third places like Hong Kong and Macau.
According to the CPA member, these “patriotic” Taiwanese businessmen are rewarded with economic and political perks, and even receive allowances or tax cuts.
But when recruiting flag-wavers the association always prefers to enlist mainlanders rather than Taiwanese, and checks a prospective member’s China-issued ID card to authenticate his background.
“I don’t trust Taiwanese. I only trust Chinese, because as Chinese we all have relatives in China,” said the executive director. “You cannot disclose what we do here to outsiders. If you do that, you might not be affected [since you are in Taiwan], but your relatives back in China may be in trouble.”
Another allegation is that the pro-Beijing groups maintain close contacts with members of Taiwan-based triads, and that some even operate under the name of affiliated clansman societies.
The Taiwanese police authority said its investigators would try to verify the al-Jazeera report before deciding on any follow-up actions.
so does Taiwan in the Pacific Islands (read, Palau) even bigger regular paychecks for opposing One China Policy and making their population suffer the crash in tourism revenues…?
The tactics mainland China deployed trying to win over the Taiwanese are totally wicked and deplorable. You can’t succeed, win the love of the Taiwanese by using all these horrified underhand tactics. Haven’t you ever heard of, "Money can’t buy you love?" China stop what you are doing, because you are doing it all wrong. Instead of winning Taiwanese over to favor the "One China" policy, you are making the people detest the Mainlanders even more. To the great Al Jazeera and its reporting, thanks. You are always the best news outlet.
Agreed Jo, if the CCP really wanted to win over Taiwan they’d treat their own people (including minorities) with dignity.
But it does make you wonder why Winnie Xi Pooh is in such a hurry to bully and intimidate China’s neighbors. If the economic models are to be believed in 50yrs China will own and dominate all of SE Asia without firing a shot.
So why push and bully now. Unless, like a certain Austrian Corporal, he knows the economy is built on shifting sands.
Either way Taiwan, like Danzig, is the final red line that we will all defend.
Very funny the article. Half million workers working in China is no joke though.
No surprise really, the same thing is going on in many other countries where people are paid to organise protests that in one way or another, promotes the Beijing policy. Even if the people dont actually know it is China that is doing the bidding! (Philippines, UK as just two known examples.)
What does Taiwan have to look forward to if it re-unites, apart from silly nationalistic slogans. It would lose it’s legal system to be replaced by a farce that operates on the whim of local diginitaries. It would lose democracy, where if you didnt like the performance of your local representative, you could vote him out. To be replaced by someone who you have no contact with and can only be replaced on orders from Beijing.
If anyone is in any doubt, just look at how Beijing is treating it’s citizens in other parts of the country. Any current political or administration people would be instantly replaced by those seen as loyal to Beijing, so many thousands would be out of work, and probably black listed for working for the "enemy".
Whatever future Beijing has in mind for Taiwan, you can guarantee the knives will be out and it will not be nice.