Taiwan election 2024: alleged audio leak of Tsai Ing-wen amounts to ‘foreign interference’, DPP lawmaker says
- In unverified recording, legislator and Taiwanese president appear to discuss personnel problems in their party in 2019
- Commentator says it highlights factional differences within the ruling party
Taiwan-based Chung T’ien Television, which supports the opposition, quoted a commentator as saying the recording pointed to factional fighting within the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
During the conversation, a man and a woman discuss a wide range of issues including disagreements within the DPP about personnel as well as whether to play down the party’s stand on independence for Taiwan.
Tsai has not commented publicly on the recording, which has not been independently verified.
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But legislator Lo Chih-cheng, believed to be the man talking to Tsai, said on Sunday that the recording was “edited illegally” and the leak as interference by “foreign forces” in Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections.
In the recording, the man criticises the selection of officials by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, also a DPP party member, saying Wu “disrupted the hierarchy in the promotions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”.
The woman in the recording agrees but otherwise says little.
The man also suggests that in preparation for the 2020 elections, the DPP should “repackage” and play down a clause in the 1991 party charter that advocates independence for Taiwan.
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The man refers to Republic of China 108 – 2019 in the Western calendar – as “this year”. He also refers to the “president’s” personal destiny.
More than 19 million voters will cast their ballots to decide the island’s next president.
Vice-President William Lai Ching-te, the DPP’s candidate, is leading in the polls, ahead of the KMT’s Hou Yu-ih, and Ko Wen-je, chairman of the smaller Taiwan People’s Party.
Tsai became president in 2016 and will step down after her two terms in May.
She has endorsed Lai as her successor in public but sought last week to walk back publicly on Lai’s comment on the constitution of Taiwan, which Lai’s opponents said indicated the vice-president supported independence.
Lo became a member of the Legislative Yuan in 2016 and is seen as closely connected to Tsai – both were academics at Soochow University in Taipei, although at different times.
Lo is running for re-election as a DPP legislative candidate in New Taipei City, and Tsai and DPP vice-presidential candidate Hsiao Bi-khim have turned out to support his campaign.
The recording was leaked just days after Lo reported to the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau that a sex video posted online that appeared to be of him was a “deepfake”.
Lai said Lo was “a victim”, and that Beijing would “stop at nothing” to influence the elections.
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The DPP has accused Beijing of trying to sway voters through disinformation campaigns and economic and military influence, claims Beijing has denied.
Chao also urged authorities to release the results of their investigation as soon as possible.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to arm Taiwan.
