TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of the Interior said Thursday it will ask the Constitutional Court to dissolve the Chinese Unification Promotion Party over alleged threats to national security and the democratic system.
Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said the ministry had completed its review of evidence involving the party. Several senior members have been linked to alleged violations of national security, election, anti-infiltration, and organized crime laws, CTS News reported.
The Constitution says political parties cannot threaten the country’s existence or its free and democratic constitutional order. Under the Political Parties Act, the interior ministry must present its evidence to the Constitutional Court, which will decide whether the party should be dissolved.
The ministry accused the party of accepting instructions from the Chinese Communist Party and helping Beijing build influence networks in Taiwan. It said members recruited spouses from China, contacted serving and retired military personnel, and helped develop alleged spying networks.
The party also allegedly helped Chinese money and political influence enter Taiwan’s elections. The ministry said members supported candidates, offered voters trips to China, disrupted campaign events, and spread Beijing-backed messages through radio programs.
The ministry said party members also tried to influence civic groups, temples, and other local organizations. It said the activities were intended to promote Beijing’s political goals in Taiwan.
Officials also cited violent incidents allegedly involving party members or associates. These included a paint attack on Hong Kong singer Denise Ho (何韻詩), violence at a National Taiwan University event, and an attack on Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) at an airport.
Authorities said 134 party members were investigated, charged, or convicted in connection with serious crimes between 2010 and 2024. The alleged offenses included murder, robbery, and cross-border human trafficking, though the ministry did not provide the legal status of each case, per UDN.
The ministry said party founder Chang An-le (張安樂) is identified in the party charter as its symbolic leader and president. It said Chang has publicly expressed support for the Chinese Communist Party and promoted its ideology.
Chang, widely known by his nickname “White Wolf,” was once a leader of the Bamboo Union, one of Taiwan’s largest organized crime groups. He has openly acknowledged his past involvement with the group.
Chang also spent about 10 years in a US prison on drug-smuggling charges. He later lived in China after leaving Taiwan while wanted in connection with an organized crime investigation, though he was not ultimately tried in that case, Reuters reported.
CNA reported that courts in Spain and South Korea have previously dissolved political parties found to threaten national security or democratic rule. Those cases were based on evidence involving violence, cooperation with hostile forces, or plans to damage democratic institutions rather than political views alone.
The ministry said Taiwan protects the right to form political parties but that this freedom has constitutional limits. It said parties cannot accept instructions, assignments, or funding from hostile foreign forces to conduct activities that threaten Taiwan’s security and democracy.
