The Silent War Comes to a Vote: Taiwan Confronts CCP Political Infiltration With Recall Ballot Targeting 24 Suspected United Front Agents

July 26 referendum could purge lawmakers accused of obstructing defense bills and advancing Beijing’s agenda through the KMT.

TAIPEI — Taiwan will hold an unprecedented recall referendum on July 26, 2025, that could unseat 24 opposition Kuomintang (KMT) legislators — nearly a quarter of the Legislative Yuan.

As Beijing intensifies its military rhetoric and exercises around Taiwan, which it claims is a renegade province, President Lai Ching-te asserted on Sunday that the island is “of course” a sovereign, self-governing nation. Against that backdrop, the recall campaign is being framed by analysts as a high-stakes attempt to push back against a Chinese Communist Party interference operation that has effectively gridlocked Taiwan’s legislature, using the KMT — viewed by many as a de facto clandestine wing of Beijing’s influence.

The Bureau’s sources inside Taiwan’s government say the July 26 recall vote will be a crucial test in the nation’s effort to safeguard its democracy against Beijing’s covert subversion. For example, the DPP has accused the KMT of obstructing government initiatives aimed at curbing Beijing’s political influence — such as legislation requiring lawmakers to declare and obtain approval for travel to the People’s Republic of China. KMT leaders, in response, have denounced the campaign as a “malicious recall” and an undemocratic attempt to reverse electoral losses through political coercion.

KMT lawmakers have repeatedly opposed the government’s proposed increases to defense spending — seen by President Lai and Washington as essential to deterring a potential invasion by China’s People’s Liberation Army. Xi Jinping has ordered the PLA to be fully prepared to take Taiwan by 2027, asserting the need to “reunify” the island with the mainland, by force if necessary. Xi has consolidated sweeping powers around this goal, effectively anchoring his leadership of the CCP to fulfilling the pledge.

Taiwan’s Central Election Commission has confirmed that all 24 recall petitions targeting KMT lawmakers cleared legal hurdles after two rounds of verified signatures — marking the largest coordinated recall in the island’s democratic history, with profound implications for Taiwan’s political future and rising geopolitical tensions between Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump.

Days ago, President Lai launched a series of ten speeches under the theme of national unity. In the first address, he enraged Beijing by declaring, “Taiwan is of course a country.” A spokesperson for Xi Jinping’s Taiwan Affairs Office responded by calling the remarks “full of lies and deceit, hostility and provocation,” and accused Lai of using the message “to fuel propaganda for his ‘grand recall’ political struggle in pursuit of personal gain.”

The recall movement began in early 2025 as a grassroots initiative led by civil society activists, who accused opposition lawmakers of behavior that undermines Taiwan’s sovereignty and internal stability. Petitions were launched against over 50 legislators, including some from the DPP, but recall efforts targeting KMT members gained the most traction. Activists say this reflects public frustration over KMT efforts to weaken the Lai government’s national security and foreign policy agenda.

Initially keeping their distance, DPP leaders formally endorsed the recalls in June. On June 18, DPP Secretary-General Lin Yu-chang announced the party’s “full backing” for the campaign, urging voters to “remove KMT lawmakers” as a matter of national security.

Under Taiwan’s Civil Servants Election and Recall Act, a recall must clear two signature thresholds before advancing to a public vote: 1% of eligible voters in the first phase, and 10% in the second. The final recall succeeds only if at least one-quarter of all eligible voters in the district vote “yes,” and “yes” votes outnumber “no” votes. If successful, the official is removed and a by-election is held later in the year.

This high bar makes voter turnout on July 26 a decisive factor. The result could reshape the legislature and Taiwan’s political trajectory heading into 2026 — and will be watched closely in both Washington and Beijing.

The referendum comes amid intensifying concerns from U.S. and Taiwanese defense officials that the KMT-led legislature is undercutting Taiwan’s ability to defend itself. In March, two senior American senators publicly rebuked the KMT for slashing parts of Taiwan’s proposed 2025 defense budget.

At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator Dan Sullivan warned that Taiwan’s parliament was “playing a dangerous game” by cutting its defense spending amid rising PLA threats. Senator Angus King added, “How are we expected to think about sending Americans into harm’s way on behalf of Taiwan, if Taiwan doesn’t seem all that interested in protecting itself?”

Lai’s government had proposed raising the military budget to 3% of GDP, citing the looming 2027 threat. The administration warned that opposition-led cuts were “putting national security at risk.”

Recall organizers and DPP lawmakers have framed the KMT’s legislative actions as consistent with CCP objectives — including public visits to Beijing by KMT officials in 2024 and support for legislation that the DPP says could “open back doors” for PRC influence, such as easing residency rules for Chinese spouses and expanding free trade zones in outlying islands.

Public sentiment was galvanized on April 19, when over 50,000 people rallied in Taipei under the banner “Reject the United Front, Defend Taiwan.” Organizers accused specific KMT lawmakers of acting as proxies for Beijing. President Lai has since warned that China is intensifying efforts to “absorb Taiwan’s institutions from within” and has tripled the number of espionage-related prosecutions since 2021.

One lawmaker under recall, Cheng Cheng-chien, is under investigation for allegedly leaking classified materials and communicating with Chinese officials via WeChat. Another, Ma Wen-chun, was accused of leaking submarine blueprints to external parties, including individuals with ties to the CCP — though no charges have been filed in her case. Both deny wrongdoing.

If successful, the recall effort could shift the legislative balance back toward President Lai’s administration — enabling stalled defense upgrades and reaffirming public rejection of Beijing’s influence. If it fails, the KMT may emerge emboldened, potentially accelerating efforts to reshape Taiwan’s domestic and cross-strait policy — even as the island faces its most dangerous security environment in a generation.

Fueling the recall drive are widespread suspicions — backed by select evidence — that Beijing’s United Front has infiltrated Taiwan’s political system, including its legislature. The recall campaign’s organizers explicitly cast the targeted KMT lawmakers as instruments of CCP influence, undermining Taiwan from within.

One of the key figures bankrolling and championing the recall movement is Robert Tsao, a Taiwanese semiconductor billionaire turned outspoken anti-CCP activist. Tsao has dedicated part of his fortune to fighting what he calls the “Hong Kong-ization” of Taiwan — founding a civilian defense training group and now backing the recall campaign as a tool to purge CCP influence. He and other pro-recall voices describe the effort as the latest battle in a “silent war for Taiwan’s future,” warning that China’s goal is to “win without fighting” by weakening democratic institutions and eroding public will to resist.

Public outrage around these themes reached a peak on April 19, 2025, when tens of thousands rallied in Taipei. The “Reject the United Front, Defend Taiwan” rally drew an estimated 55,000 participants to Ketagalan Boulevard, outside the Presidential Office, waving banners and signs accusing the KMT lawmakers of serving Beijing’s interests. YouTuber Pa Chiung, one of the rally organizers, took to the stage and declared:

“With 2027 widely seen as the most likely year for a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, is there any time left for us? As the clock is ticking, shouldn’t we act now to recall lawmakers who are seen as pro-CCP and are weakening both our national defense and social unity?”