China's Sharp Power Influence on Taiwan Elections, 2018-2024

• In Event: China and Taiwan in the News

Abstract

China's Sharp Power Influence on Taiwan Elections 2018-2024: Exploring the Role of Religion in Grassroots United Front Strategy

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been actively nurturing pro-China elements within Taiwan's grassroots through sustained civilian exchanges. This multifaceted endeavor encompasses the crafting of favorable policies tailored to specific industries and the allocation of overseas resources to support organizers and rally backers with the aim of shaping electoral outcomes in Taiwan. Particularly noteworthy is the intricate interplay between religious exchanges and interactions at the local grassroots level. The CCP has adeptly leveraged religious pretexts as a means to deepen its engagement with Taiwan's grassroots communities. Unlike Taiwan, which boasts a diverse tapestry of beliefs without a single dominant deity, the prevalence of Communal Folk Religion, representing the majority of folk faiths, is characterized by its potent group cohesion.

Furthermore, existing research has underscored how, during the authoritarian reign of the Kuomintang (KMT), regional religions were harnessed as instruments for the allocation of benefits and the bolstering of local factions. This study draws inspiration from the role of the Fifth Column in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and seeks to harness the insights from previous research on CCP's united front agencies operating in the context of Taiwan. It will incorporate news data analysis to gauge the magnitude and specific targets of CCP's grassroots united front initiatives and endeavor to substantiate China's direct or indirect influence on Taiwan's electoral processes.

The research is anchored in two principal objectives: firstly, to comprehensively review and consolidate the existing CCP united front agencies with a focus on Taiwan and scrutinize their interactions with Taiwan's grassroots population through the lens of news data; secondly, to direct attention toward the political repercussions stemming from CCP's grassroots united front endeavors. Ultimately, the CCP's united front strategy aspires to cultivate political proxies who can exert influence over decision-making processes. Consequently, this project will progressively ascertain the correlations between CCP's united front networks and elections at various levels.

Authors

• Wen-Cheng Lin, National Chengchi University

• Thung-hong Lin, Academia Sinica