On Cheng Li-wen's triumph, DPP to parties : Prioritize national interests, safeguard national security

 Direct translation

Is Beijing trying to remove Lai Ching-te?

Editor: Fang Xun / Source: ETtoday / https://www.aboluowang.com/2025/1020/2293669.html / Image below : The KMT chairmanship election concluded, and new party chairwoman Cheng Li-wen delivered a speech. (Photo by reporter Lü Jiaxian)

The Kuomintang (KMT) chairmanship election has concluded, with former legislator Cheng Li-wen successfully elected. However, it is worth noting that veteran media personality Zhao Shaokang repeatedly alleged before the election that the KMT chairmanship election was subject to interference from overseas Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forces. Recently, it was revealed that top leaders in Beijing had already set their sights on a specific candidate, demanding a coordinated effort to unseat President Lai Ching-te. In response, the Presidential Office stated in the evening of the 19th that it hoped leaders of both ruling and opposition parties, regardless of their political stances, would prioritize national interests and safeguard national security.

Regarding CCP interference in the KMT chairmanship election, Taiwan's National Security Agency Director Tsai Ming-yen recently confirmed in an interview that an investigation was underway and that half of the accounts were located overseas, but declined to specify which candidate they supported. In response, a party and government official revealed in an interview on the 19th that preliminary information suggests the massive number of fake accounts and AI-generated videos attacking Hau Lung-bin originated from the Central Propaganda Department, the United Front Work Department, and even the People's Liberation Army, with a budget estimated at hundreds of millions of yuan.

The source also mentioned that after registration for the KMT chairmanship election was completed, Beijing held a high-level meeting to conclude support for a specific candidate and set a four-word tone: "We must be on the same page with Beijing."

Party and government officials stated that Beijing's Taiwan policy prioritizes the goal of "removing Lai Ching-te." If Lai Ching-te could not be removed, the Democratic Progressive Party's governance must be rendered untenable. He mentioned that the candidate must demonstrate greater political flexibility, oppose the arming of Taiwan, oppose US intervention, and support the unification of Taiwan and China. This candidate must speak with mainland China.

In response, Presidential Office spokesperson Kuo Ya-hui stated that Taiwan is a pluralistic democratic political system. She hopes that leaders of both ruling and opposition parties, regardless of their political stances, will share the common goal of prioritizing national interests and safeguarding national security, and, based on shared facts, lead their respective parties to a better Taiwan.