Taiwan President and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman, Lai Ching-te, stated on the 4th that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been intentionally manipulating and smearing Interior Minister Liu Shi-fang as part of a deliberate cognitive warfare. He emphasized that any domestic collaborators cooperating with the CCP in suppressing the Taiwanese people should be subject to legal sanctions.
On February 27, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council stated that the CCP has been spreading malicious information through the Hong Kong-based Wenweipo to attack Interior Minister Liu Shi-fang, falsely implicating her nephew. This blatant attempt under the guise of “punishing Taiwan independence” constitutes a “transborder suppression” against the Taiwanese government officials and innocent civilians.
During a routine press conference on the 4th, a spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhang Han, declared that all necessary measures will be taken to harshly crack down on “stubborn Taiwan independence elements,” and stressed that individuals supporting independence and disrupting cross-strait relations will not be allowed to make money on the Chinese mainland while causing trouble.
The DPP held a Central Standing Committee meeting on the 4th. According to DPP spokesperson Han Ying, Lai Ching-te remarked that in regards to the CCP’s smear campaign and suppression of Interior Minister Liu Shi-fang, he stressed that the CCP has no jurisdiction over the Taiwanese people, and any form of transnational suppression is ineffective for Taiwan.
Lai Ching-te further stated, “We are well aware that China’s claim to address Minister Liu is a unilateral and intentional manipulation in cognitive warfare, aimed at intimidating the Taiwanese people and interfering with Taiwan’s democratic governance.”
Lai Ching-te pointed out that if the people of Taiwan were persecuted by cross-border suppression from the CCP, the government will do everything in its power to protect them. He emphasized that any domestic collaborators aiding the CCP in suppressing the Taiwanese people across borders should be subject to legal consequences.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council stated that in recent years, the CCP’s suppression of Taiwan often uses the pretext of “anti-independence” but actually aims to promote reunification and attempts to implement the concept of “governing before unification” before achieving reunification.
The Council highlighted that the true objective of this case is to preemptively intervene in Taiwan’s upcoming elections, meddle in the operation of Taiwan’s democratic system, and undermine Taiwan’s legitimate governance. “The people of Taiwan are well aware of such despicable tactics,” the Council added.