Taiwan’s interior ministry said it will seek to ban a pro-Beijing political party. Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳), the interior minister, announced her ministry will petition the constitutional court to dissolve the Chinese Unification Promotion Party, or CUPP. She cited alleged links to organized crime, election interference and threats to national security.
Department of Civil Affairs Director-General Cheng Ying-hung (鄭英弘) explained that the CUPP has worked closely with China to build political networks in Taiwan and spread pro-unification propaganda, allegedly organizing vote-buying and bringing voters on trips to China. It also accused the CUPP of helping recruit spies and working with organized crime groups.
The Interior Ministry said last September that the party had long been engaged in systematic and organized efforts to develop pro-China networks in Taiwan. It added that members have been suspected of violating laws aimed at protecting Taiwan’s national security and preventing foreign political influence, as well as laws targeting organized crime, posing a serious threat to Taiwan’s democracy.
Deputy Interior Minister Maa Shyh-yuan (馬士元) said that the CUPP’s goal has always been to eliminate the Republic of China, the official name of Taiwan.
Maa said that under Taiwanese laws, the CUPP and other similar parties must be given a chance to present their views before any decision is made. Taiwan’s government can legally seek to dissolve a political party if its goals or activities endanger the existence of the Republic of China or its free and democratic order.
The CUPP was established in China in 2004 by Chang An-lo (張安樂). At the time it was called the Great Alliance for Defending China. Chang lived in China for 17 years as a fugitive from the law in Taiwan but was not prosecuted on his return. In 2005, Chang came back to Taiwan and registered the party as the Chinese Unification Promotion Party.
Chang came to prominence as a leader in the triad gang called the Bamboo Union. He was sentenced to 15 years in the U.S. for drug-smuggling charges in 1986, serving ten of them. Chang is also known by the moniker “White Wolf.”
On the accusation that the CUPP has close ties with China, Chang told local media Mirror Daily today that exchanges with China are necessary for Taiwan’s security, arguing that grassroots exchanges could help people to speak up if Beijing ever moves toward “unification by force.” He accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, of using its own China contacts to make money, saying, “Our changes are for the safety of the Taiwanese people, theirs are about how to put money in their pockets.”
The Washington Post reported last year that the CUPP worked closely with organized crime groups such as the Bamboo Union to conduct tasks in Taiwan including recruiting spies, spreading pro-unification propaganda, and stockpiling weapons.
If the interior ministry is successful, it would be the first time a political party in Taiwan has been dissolved on constitutional grounds. The ministry said it will file its request in August.
Update: When asked about CUPP’s future, Chang declined to comment.
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