Taiwan is set to hold a rare “great recall” vote in its history. Legal expert Yuan Hongbing, who is currently in Taiwan to observe public sentiment regarding the recall, highly praised the “great recall” during an interview with the Epoch Times on July 24. He also revealed the major conspiracy behind China’s recent increased cultural aggression and military intimidation towards Taiwan.
Civil groups in Taiwan have initiated a large-scale recall movement in response to the parliamentary expansion led by pro-China Kuomintang legislators, expressing their rejection of legislators who disregard public opinion by engaging in unconstitutional and chaotic governance. Across Taiwan, over 1.3 million recall petitions have been submitted to the Electoral Commission. Taiwanese voters will exercise their constitutional right to recall, deciding the fate of 31 Kuomintang legislators and the suspended mayor of Hsinchu City, Ko Wen-je. The first wave of recall votes for 24 legislators and Ko Wen-je will take place on July 26, with an additional 7 legislators up for recall on August 23.
The trigger for this “great recall” was the emergence of a situation in Taiwan’s political landscape dubbed the “small parties dictating to big parties” following the 2024 election. Towards the end of 2024, the Legislative Yuan passed amendments to the Local Elections and Members of the Legislative Yuan (Legislative Yuan), Act on Constitutional Court Procedure, and the Fiscal Budget Act. To protest against this disregard for public opinion, civil groups launched recall drives in various regions. The success of a recall requires meeting two thresholds: having more “yes” votes than “no” votes and obtaining “yes” votes from at least one-fourth of the total number of electors in the original electoral district.
Should the Kuomintang lose six seats in this round, with all replacements filled by Democratic Progressive Party candidates, the DPP has a chance to secure a majority of parliamentary seats and regain control of the legislature.
In the lead-up to the vote, both the blue and green camps are mobilizing, with recall and anti-recall groups holding numerous campaign events.
Yuan Hongbing described the current “great recall” in Taiwan as “essentially the public will of Taiwanese society directly confronting the agents of the CCP’s tyranny, engaging in a direct clash.”
He reiterated his previous revelation that shortly after the Taiwan election, Xi Jinping, the CCP leader, instructed the CCP’s Taiwan Affairs Office and United Front Work Department to utilize their infiltration capabilities in Taiwan to control the Legislative Yuan’s high ground, destabilizing Taiwan’s national power structure from within and creating conditions for a military invasion.
This recall movement only gained traction due to the widespread anger in Taiwanese society. Yuan believes this recall movement is deploying a larger democratic method to address the crisis facing democracy.
Yuan Hongbing noted a significant shift in Taiwan, where the government and civil society no longer exhibit the same tolerance or fear of the CCP. They now confront the CCP bravely and tenaciously. This current situation represents a significant transformation for Taiwan, from the government to the grassroots level.
He emphasized that this shift should be traced back to President Lai Ching-te’s public declaration that the CCP is Taiwan’s “external hostile force.” In the past, Taiwan often withdrew or evaded confrontation in the face of the CCP’s cultural aggression and sovereignty coercion. Now, Taiwanese society has achieved a remarkable awakening.
Yuan Hongbing pointed out that the claim “the CCP is Taiwan’s external hostile force” actually reflects the CCP’s ambition to obliterate Taiwan’s sovereignty and freedom. This recall demonstrates that the Taiwanese people no longer fear the CCP.
“In the face of CCP’s sovereignty coercion, Taiwanese society is rising in resistance. This recall is a significant manifestation of Taiwanese people directly opposing the CCP’s strategic conspiracy to destroy Taiwan’s free and democratic way of life, representing an unprecedented fight between Taiwanese society and the CCP’s aggression,” he said.
The situation in the Taiwan Strait has global implications. In recent years, many Western countries, including the United States, have based their national policies and strategies on events in the Taiwan Strait.
Yuan Hongbing stated that Taiwan’s fate draws global attention primarily because the CCP’s Xi Jinping regime views invading and absorbing free Taiwan as a pivotal part of its global expansion under communism. The CCP has never hidden its ambition to conquer free Taiwan. Taiwan not only stands as an Asian beacon of freedom and democracy but also holds a significant position in international politics, economics, culture, and diplomacy, contributing irreplaceably to contemporary human civilization.
“The fate of Taiwan and the destiny of various free democratic countries worldwide are closely intertwined. By safeguarding Taiwan, we can truly push back against the CCP’s global expansionist ambitions under communism. Protecting free Taiwan is also safeguarding hope for democratization in China. I hope the international community and the Chinese people can realize this clearly,” he remarked.
Ahead of the “great recall” vote, the CCP has intensified its disruptions toward Taiwan. The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China reported that from 6 a.m. on the 24th to 6 a.m. on the 25th, 26 Chinese aircraft were detected, with 24 crossing the median line in the Taiwan Strait to enter northern and southwestern airspace. Additionally, seven Chinese warships and one government ship were observed, totaling 34 Chinese military assets continuing activities around the Taiwan Strait area. The Taiwanese military is closely monitoring and responding to this situation.
On another front, Taipei Democratic Progressive Party Councilor Hong Chien-Yi disclosed that the Dongguan United Front unit is offering discounted air tickets to encourage Taiwanese business owners and their families to return to Taiwan before the recall. A spokesperson for the Mainland Affairs Council stated that while mobilizing Taiwanese business owners back may not have a significant effect, it is evident that the CCP highly regards the “great recall,” showing determination akin to a presidential election.
In June, the CCP’s Taiwan Affairs Office criticized the Lai Ching-te government for “political manipulation” in response to the Taiwanese public’s “great recall” movement, stating that they “will never allow its plot to succeed.”
Yuan Hongbing exposed the CCP’s fundamental intentions, saying, “The CCP views swallowing Taiwan as a breakthrough in its global expansion of communist authoritarianism. In 2018, Xi Jinping amended the constitution to incorporate his ambition to swallow Taiwan directly into the constitution. The CCP’s party constitution also includes relevant content, clearly informing the world of its strategic goal to swallow Taiwan under the CCP’s tyranny. Xi Jinping seeks to revive international communism, with a fundamental strategic goal of replacing the United States as the lawmaker of international law and the establisher of international order, with a Taiwan Strait war as a starting point.”
He believes that Taiwan’s fate is closely linked with the destiny of humanity in the 21st century. Taiwan’s fate is also intertwined with hopes for democratization in China. If the international community allows the CCP to conquer free Taiwan without taking action, CCP aggression toward Taiwan will inevitably strengthen, delaying the realization of democratization in China.
“Therefore, safeguarding free Taiwan is safeguarding humanity’s free democratic way of life, preserving global peace, and upholding hopes for democratization in China. I hope the international community and the Chinese people can realize this clearly,” he added.
Across the Taiwan Strait, the CCP recently claimed that its party membership exceeded one billion, yet simultaneously, the CCP is experiencing increased corruption and demise. The CCP’s anti-corruption department announced disciplinary actions against 420,000 individuals, including 30 high-ranking provincial officials, in the first half of this year, a nearly 30% increase from the same period last year. In the past two years, numerous senior military commanders have been investigated or gone missing, including many of Xi Jinping’s confidants.
Yuan Hongbing stated that after ruling for 13 years, the CCP, under Xi Jinping, is exhibiting signs of collapsing inwards and outwards, undergoing economic decline. Xi Jinping has resorted to relentless purges within the party, government, and military to maintain his personal dictatorship. This, in turn, indicates the CCP is currently facing a crisis in politics, economy, and culture.
He underscored that it is noteworthy that Xi Jinping’s desperate act of launching a Taiwan Strait war marks the beginning of his demise. While the CCP appears to possess potent nuclear weapons, military, numerous advanced fighter jets, warships, and claims one billion party members, the control of the world is not wielded through military force but through the hearts of the people. Presently, China is not only experiencing widespread public discontent but also discontent among officials.
In contrast, Yuan compared how the Soviet Union, despite possessing formidable weaponry, collapsed overnight. Xi Jinping once lamented about that incident, saying “not a single person” demonstrated manliness during the Soviet Union’s collapse, illustrating how changes in people’s hearts determine a regime’s existence or downfall.
“Looking at the CCP, the Xi Jinping regime is already bereft of public support. In the realm of people’s hearts, the CCP has effectively dissolved; a real-life political or military incident is all that awaits to catalyze the collapse of the CCP’s tyranny,” he concluded.