CCP's Strategic Pilgrimage: Uniting Templegoers with Subsidized Trips

The Chinese Communist Party is reportedly subsidizing visits for Taiwanese templegoers to China, aiming to enhance cultural and ancestral ties. This initiative is part of the CCP's 'united front' strategy, compensating temple leaders for participant recruitment and raising concerns over legitimacy and influence in cross-strait relations.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is allegedly funding Taiwanese templegoers to visit China, according to a report from the Taipei Times citing a Taiwanese intelligence official. This initiative reportedly forms part of the CCP's 'united front' strategy, which includes sponsorship of religious pilgrimages and events, encouraging cultural exchanges between Taiwan and China.

Reportedly targeting Taiwan's major temples, the CCP recently hosted events such as the celebration of sea goddess Matsu's birthday in Fujian Province, China. Participants are compensated, and leaders are incentivized based on enrollment numbers, receiving a significant payout for recruiting over 100 participants, as per the Taipei Times.

While participants often fund their own airfare, most travel expenses are covered, with China's Taiwan Affairs Office officials actively engaging with these visitors once they arrive. Despite some seeing it as a chance for a cost-free trip, concerns remain over the perceived manipulation of cross-strait relations, with some leaders wary of being too closely linked with the trips.

(With inputs from agencies.)