KMT official struggles to clarify communication with Chinese defector

Focus Taiwan
Date: 01/09/2020

Taipei, Jan. 9 (CNA) An opposition Kuomintang (KMT) official accused of involvement in an alleged plot to have a self-professed Chinese defector retract his claims about spying for China on Thursday held a press conference to try to clarify his role in events, just two days before Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections.

In a report published Wednesday by Australian newspaper The Age, Alex Tsai (蔡正元), deputy secretary-general of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang (KMT), was said to have tried to induce self-confessed Chinese spy Wang Liqiang (王立強) to retract claims he assisted Beijing in influencing Taiwan's elections.

In the report, the newspaper cited anonymous sources with knowledge of events as saying that Wang received messages on Christmas Eve and the days after, asking him to record and release a video saying that Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has bribed him to lie.

Wang was told that his family would be spared punishment and his debts be repaid if he gave a public statement retracting his previous claims of spying for China, according to the report.
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