TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese intelligence operatives obtained sensitive material on a high-level meeting of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials focused on interfering with Taiwan’s presidential election scheduled for Jan. 13.

The meeting took place in early December and was presided over by Wang Huning (王滬寧), a member of the CCP's Politburo Standing Committee. The meeting was held to coordinate efforts between ministries and agencies to effectively and quietly influence the outcome of Taiwan’s election, according to CNN and Reuters.

The meeting allegedly included top members of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), the Ministry of State Security, the Ministry of National Defense, and other agencies involved in promoting state propaganda. Wang Huning, widely believed to be the CCP’s spy chief, was put in charge of Taiwan policy in early 2023 after China’s actions in Hong Kong undermined Beijing’s “One Country, Two Systems” policy towards Taiwan.

Senior Taiwanese security officials provided a report on the meeting to local and international media outlets this week, but they demanded anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. In other words, the information on the meeting was likely obtained by Taiwanese intelligence operatives within the CCP or someone with access to their internal records.

According to Reuters, China’s propaganda department was tasked with consolidating efforts with a psychological warfare unit called Base 311 to influence Taiwanese voters via news reporting and various social media platforms.

According to CNN, Wang told officials present to “step up” their efforts, while maintaining effectiveness and subtlety. The CCP is trying to ensure that “external parties” will be unable to find direct evidence of election interference, per CNN.

One key notion endorsed by the CCP is that the upcoming presidential election is a choice between “war or peace,” and that the victory of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) will increase the likelihood of war between China and Taiwan. Alternately, this suggests that a victory by Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) will preserve peaceful cross-strait relations.

Reports also indicate that China’s TAO and the United Front operatives are approaching Taiwanese residents in China and encouraging them to help influence friends and family in Taiwan. The Chinese government has drawn attention in recent weeks for offering discounted airline tickets for Taiwanese citizens returning to Taiwan, hoping that they might return to vote for Beijing’s preferred candidate, per Reuters.