Chairman of the Taiwan New Immigrants Development AssociationXu ChunyingHe was searched and questioned by the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office on Thursday (November 27) on multiple charges, including allegedly accepting Chinese funds to influence the 2022 and 2024 elections, operating an underground money exchange, and defrauding banks. After questioning, the prosecutor applied to the court for his detention and incommunicado confinement, which was granted. This case involves serious crimes under the Anti-Infiltration Act and the Banking Act, drawing significant public attention.
According to Taiwanese media reports, the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office and the Investigation Bureau searched the residences and related locations of Hsu Chun-ying and six accomplices on Wednesday (26th), and also brought in twelve witnesses for questioning.
The prosecution pointed out that Hsu Chun-ying was mainly involved in three types of cases. First, she accepted funds and manpower from China to interfere in the election activities of Huang Shan-shan, the Taipei mayoral candidate of the Taiwan People's Party in 2022, and Ko Wen-je, the presidential candidate last year. Second, she was engaged in underground cross-strait money transfers for a long time, amounting to tens of millions of New Taiwan Dollars. Third, she defrauded financial institutions of more than 20 million NTD by forging real estate information.
According to the investigation, five of the six accomplices were assigned by Hsu Chun-ying to assist in political activities. Prosecutors believe these actions may involve serious crimes such as foreign infiltration and money laundering. Apart from Hsu Chun-ying, who was detained and held incommunicado, the other six accomplices were released on bail ranging from NT$150,000 to less than NT$150,000 and restricted from leaving the country.
It is understood that Hsu Chun-ying was born in Shanghai, China, and graduated from the Department of Business Administration at Fudan University. She married and moved to Taiwan in 1993, obtained Republic of China citizenship in 2000, and has served as the chairperson of the Taiwan New Immigrants Development Association since 2016. She has long advocated for the civil rights of mainland spouses and was once included in the preliminary list of at-large legislators by the Taiwan People's Party, which has drawn attention to the issue of mainland spouses' participation in politics.
Further reading｜Has she not renounced her Chinese citizenship? Xu Chunying: Is China and Taiwan related as foreign countries?
The Taiwan People's Party issued a statement on Thursday (27th) emphasizing that Taiwan is a country ruled by law and should adhere to the principle of presumption of innocence. Before the evidence is clear, the basic rights and personal freedoms of every citizen should be protected. The statement also called on prosecutors and investigators to investigate the case in accordance with the law and not to engage in political manipulation or undermine trust in the judiciary.
Lawyer Huang Di-ying offered a different perspective, pointing out that the real serious crime in this case might not be the Anti-Infiltration Act, but rather the Banking Act. According to Article 125 of the Banking Act, if a crime involves property interests exceeding NT$100 million, the maximum penalty is seven years imprisonment and a hefty fine. The case is still under investigation, and the outside world continues to focus on whether Chinese funds are interfering in Taiwan's elections.
