New allegations Beijing tried to infiltrate Taiwan's democracy roiled election campaigning on the island this weekend, with President Tsai Ing-wen's main opponent vowing to drop out if he had taken money from China's Communist Party.
A Chinese defector, named as Wang "William" Liqiang by Australian media, gave a sworn statement to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, or ASIO, about Beijing's efforts to influence politics in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia.
In particular, Wang said he helped guide positive media attention toward certain Taiwanese politicians, including Tsai's top challenger, Han Kuo-yu from the China-friendly Kuomintang party. China, in a late night statement on Saturday, said Wang is a convicted fraudster who held fake travel documents.