Taiwanese Woman Jailed for China-Sponsored Tours Influencing 2024 Election

A Taiwanese woman has been sentenced to four years in prison by the Chiayi District Court for orchestrating China-funded tours designed to influence voter behavior ahead of Taiwan's 2024 presidential election, according to Focus Taiwan.

The woman, named Lin Hsueh-feng, also faces a three-year revocation of her civil rights after being found guilty of violating the Anti-Infiltration Act and the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act, the court announced on Thursday.

Prosecutors revealed that Lin, 54, organized several trips to Zhejiang Province, China, in 2023 involving local government officials from Chiayi. These visits, reportedly arranged in collaboration with the Taiwan Affairs Office of Taizhou City, were offered at a cost of NTD 16,000 (USD 536) covering flights and meals, with Chinese authorities subsidizing other expenses. Chinese officials allegedly used these tours to advocate for backing a specific political party's candidate and to promote cross-strait unity narratives. Despite Lin's denial, labeling the tours as standard exchanges, the court ruled such benefits constituted unlawful foreign influence.

Lin's case, marking a rare conviction under Taiwan's 2020 Anti-Infiltration Act, underscores Taipei's growing concerns about Beijing's covert operations targeting its democratic elections.

(With inputs from agencies.)