[000:00:00;00] the same. asia's most vibrant democracy is feeling the heat from an increasingly powerful neighbor that claims it has a renegade province opened up one can get. a. competitive advantage i think in the democratic way of one element in any way. the two sides share a complicated history of civil war in china drove the fleeing nationalist army to taiwan in one nine hundred forty nine. it's had its own government since its own

laws. and lately off freedoms not seen in many parts of asia and yet formally taiwan is not a country i love story who wouldn't go for good. it's well i do wish. you luck because literally. the supporters of unification between china and taiwan insist both sides agreed in one nine hundred ninety two that there is only one china. but within taiwan the so-called one nine hundred ninety two consensus is the subject of much debate womans and will enjoy them playing because it's home. now tensions have escalated since president chai of the independence leaning democratic progressive party took office both sides ramped up military activity in the taiwan

straits off to beijing cut diplomatic contacts in two thousand and sixteen. china also forced a string of airlines and companies to amend references to taiwan on their websites iow while summing us up would be on the way out on the all these recently. was young oh young guy goes on water we're hearing another. frosty relations with china come amid a strengthening of ties with the united states officially washington agrees with beijing that taiwan is a part of china but on officially it's one of the island's main allies. this year the us opened the new two hundred fifty five million dollar complex in the capital taipei it also committed to stronger military support for taiwan and passed a bill encouraging visits between officials from both sides as one dedicated

disputing i don't think my president wanted to choose sides between china and the united states but the situation used to be at least countrol manageable seoul we are walking on a thai roll. for the chinese communist party a campaign to win the hearts and minds of the taiwanese people continues. here this year beijing announced its so-called thirty one measures placing such an taiwanese businesses and individuals on an equal footing with their chinese counterparts. within taiwan china is also making its presence felt. people in power investigates the fringe political groups working with beijing not to get eaten for nothing i think it's. really nice if. we find out some of the ways china gathers information inside

taiwan all to juggle their boots we're going to have a proposal social teaching go. ahead of local elections at the end of the year there were fears things could get even more intense almost sold else it was just a. jungle may eat will ya. what's happening here they just. they showed up just after six in the morning or their job and i don't hide even if it's a pro unification politician one being drunk says he was completely unprepared by now he was adorable. it hit him hard as it turned a. tradition that he underling higher than any child with him and know just that god. what followed was live streamed by one on his facebook page the video here.

of our grandchildren via. the standoff which lasted forty minutes ended when police broke the lock i mean even when i was by the. name of a good sounded many. passengers are listening to. the raid might not have happened were it not for this man joe home shoe a chinese citizen and former student at one of taiwan's best universities. he spent fourteen months in jail for attempting to recruit spies for beijing a charge he continues to deny today so holmes so that once will that be it among alleged collaborators being shown when we meet again it's at a hastily called press conference. his father and two members of his political party have just been indicted and are awaiting trial we'll let you see what the

reason for that but you can see what you mean or what we've done you know it's also the wisdom of god i don't think you go that. wasn't what i wanted. but prosecutors insist the three politicians took money from the chinese communist party with former student joe home shoes acting as a middleman. the national chain she university is where he caught his postgraduate degree. joe declined our request for an interview but we managed to speak to a former exchange student at one of taiwan's other universities she's asked that we hide her identity. joe you're a whole horrible evil sleazy all wrong overall solution for hashimoto's four. hundred one. coming out swords are going to naples on hold the real. amy

says she quickly suspected something was wrong but government officials wouldn't leave her alone to hunt for one seems sure seems some sort of. young adults use in their home joke you know who wins one hundred dollars you. wait until you get home and joe says sure the war holds you say. three pm on a weekday afternoon outside the presidential palace in taipei and this is a regular sight. members of the concentric patrick as an alliance are on their way to one of the city's best known van mox taipei one o one. here they broadcast their message on unification to tourists from mainland china i think that you know i don't. think that. and that's not what i want to let you do the carolina when. the family and they take on followers of the

following going spiritual movement who are publicizing the plight of their fellow practitioners in mainland china where the group is outlawed in. here but are you on your own and i've done this for you on your. today's exchange ends peacefully. but that hasn't always been the case. concentric patriotism alliances members regularly feature in online videos like these. their targets include pro independent supporters. democracy activists. as well as the following any kind of several of their members have been convicted of assault. within taiwan questions over the methods and funding sources of the concentric patrick ism alliance have swirled for some time. people in power has

been investigating. posing as a mainlander who has recently moved to taiwan are under cover researcher has been getting to know the group. among the first things we learn is that co-founder jang su year is running in this year's local elections. the whole. thing. this conversation with a supporter confirms what many have long suspected that the group pays people to attend its events. here you can try at one. the concentric patrick ism alliance is headed by seventy five year old child. originally from mainland china chow hopes of both hong kong and taiwanese identity

cards. in this video he's in central taiwan marking the anniversary of the founding of the chinese communist party. but channel was not always a believer. in one nine hundred eighty four he wrote a letter to that then british prime minister margaret thatcher objecting to hong kong being handed back to china his letter began it is known to all that communist rule is characterized by suppression that leads only to bloodshed deprivation and diet poverty. clearly chow has since had a change of heart but are chinese authorities funding his political activities. here's what chang so yeah co-founder and manager of the concentric patriotism alliance has to say not only. here as.

i understand it. and. everything. written to. them. in one. week nine hundred. at the offices of the taiwanese government spokesperson last year tucker says more can be done to regulate all political groups one may stand as a xian towards shore. when he. says you're going to see this. but even before changes to legislation police have started to act in early august they raid the offices of another fringe party the china unification promotion party

and the home of its chairman chang on suspicion the group was receiving funding from the chinese government. agency was on well as you. may have gone down the mail man don't. know what are. two days later a crowd greets chang as he arrives for questioning at taipei's district court. he's arguably one of taiwan's most controversial politicians also known as the white wolf chang is a former mob boss who spent ten years in prison in america and seventeen years on the run in mainland china he was arrested on returning to taiwan in two thousand. one thirteen and released on bail hours later and the hurdlers chang has since remade himself as a pro unification politician and while his party has no seats in the legislature

chang's controversial past has kept it in the media spotlight. up chiang sohn chang way shows up a little later a travel agency managed by his wife has also been raided he denies it was receiving money from the chinese communist party but confesses to something else instead was the guy use those in those who are against it from your through against the roof over who flew for me old through the going through a few of those years ago. when for both of them all those as a life which was under our association for your. group will be voted the awful way the phone for the wall is showing how do you think i can find. the interrogation last supper out for hours chang says he was mainly aust about relief efforts organized by his posse following an earthquake in eastern taiwan

earlier this year you warn you the way kids inside your house was a high shock. these are the core knowledge i was unsure of what you didn't eat e.g. what our old one was what a challenge and a woman to chant zerg meet women will be involved was there again was a man. incidence of the whole island just. as chiang leaves the district court challenging the head of the concentric patridge is among lions. and jancsi yes. shout slogans in support of him. was. but in the privacy of their office some alliance regulars paint a far murkier picture of chang and his party. in the u.k. the usual jang sin is

a former member of taiwan's main opposition party the corpsman dung and an independent candidate in upcoming elections you know this so this is regions in the it appears he also knows chang and pretty well personally the solution is going nowhere is this really a few hundred you know you. are not. going to have the arms and hugged me the whole black sheep to go the way compound out home cheese you have listened your heroes are going to come home sometimes you meet us when that's an option just a missile shot in a new down close and one long enough mom i'm going out with them i got you know you're going to be done so you're going to your question about. what you get angry about the bomb on the downhills house is a message for them now all of them i must be my money because

a new gun up with the red bar they know you mean margaret. despite differences in their beliefs some parties within the provino for cation camp have started coming together. on a saturday afternoon in august hundreds of tender banquets in taipei if you want being junks colleagues and members of chang analysts china unification promotion party are also here was. was. it's three months to the elections and campaigning has clearly started. the host is the hong man association sometimes referred to as the freemasons of china all monotony somebody was born in the nice thing is on the board even those in the south will tell you how when young jane is in and says to her home and not even some kasi that i would as a whole frenzy of rooming house cars in that i would say jeans all. of them are.

for now that means bringing about a peaceful unification between taiwan and china. believes this can happen if both sides adopt the one country two systems model most often associated with hong kong taiwan you'll utahns enough to hold influence of an illusion so it's in the news you end up with your with your own big shoes no i wasn't as i wonder if she would argue that one account is in there are several hundred twenty young and out. for twenty six year old lin geeing that's not a workable system. for a politician from the pro independence new power party she's been observing developments in hong kong and believes beijing is not up holding its side of the bargain this is a war town criers are not allowed to enter the near her ha ha. on

by the elite and so how oman see them ethan's own home owners until the. dad that's it now you know thought out. yeah put it is. lynn is running in local elections in the southern city of tire none traditionally a stronghold of president chuy's democratic progressive party rally. seems has been reaching out to young people here too as a student lynne and her classmates go to visit china on a highly subsidized tour. it's all fundamental thought. today and have a whole the heart of any it goes through nelson all the harm done that i dassent hard don't potter nation only you should it's done it's into the hands of the wind the name where you go i want you to find out if beijing has been trying to influence politics at the grassroots level we've come to see challenging true he's

a pro independence village chief in an area that has traditionally been pro unification this afternoon he's busy showing some primary school children his offices chan says mainland chinese academics have asked for similar tourists come and go home and being. soon fate so when things are high where i'm just wrong here i don't. know the knowledge i. during his first year in office chan was invited to visit china with a group of other village chiefs. it's