Behind Taiwan’s ‘unification’ party, Chinese espionage — and a criminal gang

This article highlights the activities of Taiwan’s Chinese Unification Promotion Party (CUPP). Chang An-lo, also known as the “White Wolf,” leads this organization, which actively advocates for Taiwan’s absorption into mainland China. Investigations reveal that the CUPP maintains deep ties with organized crime syndicates, particularly the Bamboo Union, a notorious underground group that smuggles drugs and conducts online fraud. Chang An-lo himself confesses that he formerly led the Bamboo Union, and he served a prison sentence in the U.S. for drug-smuggling charges.

The piece details how Beijing leverages these criminal elements to further its geopolitical objectives in Taiwan. CUPP members threaten critics of the Chinese Communist Party, disseminate pro-Beijing propaganda, and attempt to recruit spies for China among Taiwanese military officials. For instance, prosecutors charged a CUPP spokesperson with receiving millions from the CCP to spread propaganda, and courts convicted other members for espionage recruitment efforts. CUPP leaders also frequently engage with officials from central and local Chinese governments, including the United Front Work Department, an agency that focuses on expanding Beijing’s global influence.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has publicly condemned the CUPP as a conduit for Chinese espionage, describing it as a “fifth column” that sows division and subverts the island from within. Authorities express particular alarm over the CUPP’s access to weapons; they seized nearly 200 firearms from its members and affiliates over five years. The Taiwanese Interior Ministry now pursues the dissolution of the party on national security grounds. Despite these efforts, Chang An-lo remains defiant and asserts his intent to reconstitute the party if authorities dismantle it, which underscores the persistent nature of this threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty.