Formosa Chair Wu Tzu-chia raised political setup allegations on Wednesday about a recent dinner involving Chinese automaker BYD. He said the incident aimed to damage Legislative Deputy Speaker Chiang Chi-chen ahead of the August 23 recall election.
Wu explained that Chiang felt surprised when asked about the meeting. Chiang’s office sent an aide because his public relations director was unavailable. The dinner took place at the upscale Mountain & Sea House restaurant. Reporters said the attendees included people with political and media ties.
Moreover, Wu highlighted Chiang’s uncle, Chiang Chun-nan, who serves as vice president of the General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC). He maintains strong ties to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The GACC chairman is President Lai Ching-te. Wu suggested this relationship hinted at a deliberate effort to target Chiang politically.
Wu urged Chiang to file a lawsuit against Mirror Media, which broke the story. He claimed Mirror Media aimed to create a political setup. Chiang’s office said press members arranged the dinner and asked the public not to overthink it.
Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu has not commented on the controversy. Liao Chiung-chih, head of the Legislative Yuan’s General Affairs Department and dinner attendee, said he did not know the guest list before the event. He confirmed that none of the guests had business ties with the Legislative Yuan. Liao also informed relevant agencies before attending.
However, DPP Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Wu Szu-yao questioned Liao’s claims. She argued that the timing and context suggested other motives. The group behind Chiang’s recall demanded full disclosure of the dinner discussions. They urged Chiang to focus on Taiwan’s auto industry instead of Chinese companies.
In another twist, Taiwan People’s Party Chair Huang Kuo-chang accused cable news outlet SETN of orchestrating the dinner as a political setup. After speaking with Liao, Huang said a senior SETN staff member named Chen invited Liao to attend.
SETN denied Huang’s accusations. The company stated such behavior contradicts journalistic ethics. SETN suspended Chen and started an internal investigation. Thus, political setup allegations continue to cloud the BYD dinner meeting and impact the upcoming election.
