China leaders met to coordinate bid to sway polls: Taiwan officials

Meeting said to have been attended by senior people from various agencies

TAIPEI - Senior Chinese leaders held a meeting in early December to "coordinate" government efforts to sway upcoming elections in Taiwan, according to intelligence gathered on the island, part of a campaign Taiwanese officials see as voting interference.

Taiwanese officials have warned that Beijing is trying to nudge voters towards candidates who seek closer China ties in the Jan 13, 2024, presidential and legislative elections, which are happening as China ramps up military and political pressure to try to force the democratically governed island to accept its sovereignty.

The meeting in Beijing was held by the Communist Party of China's fourth-ranked leader, Mr Wang Huning, who is also deputy head of Beijing's Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, chaired by President Xi Jinping, according to multiple Taiwanese security officials who discussed the matter with reporters.