Did Chinese officials and media criticize and ridicule the Taiwanese public-led mass recall, effectively helping the process? (CCTV-4 News screenshot)
Taiwan will hold a recall vote for legislators this Saturday (the 26th), known as a "mass recall." Reuters reported on the 22nd that this election, which could reshape the landscape of Taiwan's parliament, not only affects Taiwan's political landscape but also raises concerns about official Chinese involvement. The report also reported that opposition Kuomintang legislators facing recall have recently received encouragement from Chinese officials and state media.
The recall campaign, initiated by civic groups, officially began earlier this year. Taiwanese voters will decide on Saturday whether to recall 24 Kuomintang (KMT) legislators, representing about one-fifth of all members. The recall of another seven legislators will be voted on on August 23.
The recall group claims this is an "anti-communist" campaign and accuses the KMT of betraying Taiwan by sending representatives to China, opposing the defense budget, and causing chaos in Congress. The KMT denies these accusations and instead accuses the Lai government of "dictatorship" and "green terror."
Reuters reported that although the Kuomintang was uneasy about China's support and feared being "smeared", China did not remain silent on this.
In June this year, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, stated at a press conference that Lai "engages in dictatorship under the banner of democracy" and "uses all means to suppress the opposition party."
Taiwanese entrepreneur Cao Xingcheng, one of the important promoters of the recall movement, said that China's remarks will only boost the momentum of the recall movement.
"This proves they (the KMT) are in cahoots with the Communist Party, and that helps us," he told reporters at an event on Monday.
Taiwanese internet celebrity Chen Zhihan, known as "Curator," recently attended the National Youth Salon Forum hosted by the Kuomintang (KMT). He garnered attention for his remarks, including, "96% of Taiwan is Chinese," and "We are Chinese, why should we be dogs of the Americans?" CCTV subsequently broadcast footage of the event, but due to the curator's heavily tattooed arms, his arms were blurred in the news.
