TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The KMT has announced a lawsuit against Liberty Times News alleging that the organization published untrue reports about secret talks between the KMT and the CCP.
KMT Deputy Chair Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) went to Beijing in early February, where he met with Chinese Politburo member Wang Huning. Liberty Times reported that they discussed a framework for unification and laid the groundwork for a mid-March meeting between KMT Chair Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文) and Xi Jinping.
On Wednesday, the KMT held a press conference to dispute the reports and announce its lawsuit against the chief editor Tzou Jing-wen (鄒景雯) and two reporters for NT$2 million (US$63,500) in damages. The KMT has also requested that three major news outlets publish clarifications or retractions for the disputed reports, according to UDN.
KMT Spokesperson Chiang I-chen (江怡臻) listed seven reports published by Liberty Times that are claimed to contain false information.
For example, in recent months, KMT lawmakers have been accused of delaying the passage of a special defense budget in the Legislative Yuan at the behest of the CCP to derail arms purchases from the US. Chiang called such accusations fake news intended to damage the reputation of the KMT ahead of municipal elections in November.
In response to the lawsuit, Liberty Times stood by its reports with spokesperson Su Yu-hui (蘇宇暉) saying that they all underwent “reasonable verification,” per CNA.
