Recently, Taiwan anti-communist internet celebrity Ba Jiong released a documentary called “Chinese United Front,” exposing how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) lured and enticed Taiwanese internet celebrities into participating in united front activities against Taiwan. This revelation has sparked widespread attention and discussion among the public in Taiwan.
The documentary features former CCP united front “model internet celebrity” and Taiwanese rapper Chen Baiyuan, who exposed how the CCP’s united front department bribed Taiwanese internet celebrities, specifically naming several Taiwanese personalities who have collaborated with the CCP’s united front department. Despite endorsing the CCP, these Taiwanese internet celebrities admitted that they earn more money in Taiwan compared to the mainland.
Ba Jiong, host of the “Fun TV” channel with 1.02 million subscribers, focuses on commenting on CCP politics and Chinese current affairs. On December 6, he released the first part of the documentary “Chinese United Front,” inviting Taiwanese rapper Chen Baiyuan to expose how the CCP bribes Taiwanese internet celebrities.
In the documentary played by Ba Jiong, Chen Baiyuan mentioned how he had opened a company with the son of the chairman of the Jinjiang City Taiwan Union Association, only to be deceived. Additionally, his song “Chinese Boss” has garnered over 1 billion views in mainland China, but he has yet to receive any royalties for the song.
Under various pressures, Chen Baiyuan, once a CCP-endorsed internet celebrity, ultimately chose to break ties with the CCP and expose its wrongdoings.
In the documentary, Chen Baiyuan contacted internet celebrity “Mai Gou 886” over the phone, who had previously brought Chiang Ching-kuo’s grandson, Chiang Youqing, back to his roots in Ningbo, Fenghua. “Mai Gou 886” revealed during the call that Taiwanese internet celebrities like “Han Guo Ren” and “6yi7” had collaborated with the CCP’s Taiwan Affairs Office. However, “Mai Gou 886” admitted during the call that Taiwanese internet celebrities endorsing the CCP do not actually make much money, and Chinese people nowadays are not very interested in Taiwanese internet celebrities, considering them merely to be inflating their popularity.
In the documentary, Chen Baiyuan shared that CCP united front counterpart units offer a substantial amount of material, some even including figures like Hong Xiuzhu and Hou You-yi, hoping he would compose a song criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party titled “Bomb Taiwan” to influence Taiwanese politics.
In the video updated by Ba Jiong on Saturday (7th), Chen Baiyuan mentioned that since the video was released, his Weibo account has been bombarded with messages from pro-CCP supporters criticizing him as a “Taiwanese independence dog” and even threatening physical violence against him with comments like “when are you coming to Fujian, I will punch you.” Even his TikTok account “Minnan Wolf PYC” was deleted by the authorities.
Ba Jiong’s release of the documentary “Chinese United Front” has attracted widespread attention in Taiwan. As of the time of writing, the video has garnered over 1.43 million views and 72,000 likes.
Former Taiwanese legislator Chen Bawei said on Facebook that some people may focus on the names of internet celebrities accidentally revealed in the documentary, but behind these exposed names, there are surely many more individuals yet to be exposed. He emphasized the importance of understanding the systemic operations of the CCP’s united front and how recognizing these tactics would make it easier to identify in the future.
Chen Bawei believes that the most eye-opening aspect of Ba Jiong’s documentary is that these Taiwanese internet celebrities who endorse the CCP actually earn less in mainland China compared to Taiwan.
Vice Secretary-General of the Taiwan Security Association He Chenghui pointed out in an interview that one of the main ways the CCP recruits Taiwanese internet celebrities is through “channeling,” enabling them to conduct “cross-sea bribery” and “cross-sea united front” activities without needing to go to China physically, manipulating traffic to achieve these aims.
Legislator Shen Boyang believes that tracking the flow of CCP’s bribery money is only supplemental, and the main objective should be to expose intermediaries, including travel agencies, criminal organizations, professors, businessmen, or even legislators, who willingly participate as “united front mediators” should face public scrutiny.
Former Taipei branch chief of Japan’s “Sankei Shimbun” newspaper, Abe Akio, stated on his Facebook page that many viewers were deeply inspired and shocked by Ba Jiong’s new documentary, which shed light on various aspects of the CCP’s united front actions against Taiwan. Abe emphasized that while some content had been reported by the media previously, this documentary vividly presented many details through concrete dialogues between individuals.
Abe Akio listed four key points to note: Firstly, the funding of the CCP’s Taiwan department has significantly decreased. He believed that the CCP previously spared no expense to buy off Taiwanese internet celebrities, but now being more cautious, even bargaining, indicates a significant reduction in the benefits these sellouts can obtain.
Secondly, Abe Akio noted that the documentary highlighted several internet celebrities with constantly shifting stances, revealing the extensive and complex tactics of united front work, particularly pointing out that overseas Chinese schools directly report to the CCP’s united front department, potentially influencing Taiwanese society through hundreds of Taiwanese graduates returning annually. “The graduates of these Chinese schools will continue to return to Taiwanese society in the future, which is very concerning.”
Additionally, Abe Akio pointed out the risks when Taiwanese businesses cooperate with China, showcasing many instances where Taiwanese businesses have been exploited locally, with assets possibly being seized and even threats to life. Thus, he urged Taiwanese businesses to be well-aware of these potential dangers when doing business in China.
Abe Akio warned that the primary targets of the CCP’s attacks and smears are Taiwan’s social system and the Democratic Progressive Party, aiming to disrupt Taiwan’s political environment. He highlighted how the CCP’s manipulation of Taiwanese internet celebrities’ speech aims to create divisions and confusion, cautioning that many people, for the sake of minor gains, are willing to betray their homeland, family, and friends, a concerning trend that everyone should be wary of.
Lastly, Abe Akio expressed that Ba Jiong’s documentary is invaluable, raising awareness of the daunting challenges Taiwan faces. He also stressed the importance for Taiwanese society and the ruling party to not only guard against various forms of infiltration from across the strait but also devise countermeasures instead of merely playing defense.