Taiwan Village Chief: How does the most grassroots elected public office affect electoral mobilization and cross-Strait relations?

The village chief is the most grassroots elected public office in Taiwan. There are about 7,700 villages in Taiwan. The village chief is elected every four years. Together with the election of county and city heads and council members, it is called the "nine-in-one" election. They are responsible for community affairs such as road maintenance, elder care, policy promotion and disaster relief.

The village chief has close contacts with residents and has local connections. He is regarded as an important "leg" for candidates and plays a key role in electoral mobilization.

In recent years, some village chiefs have gone to mainland China for exchanges, and some have accepted Chinese hospitality, which has aroused attention from the outside world: Does Beijing use grassroots networks to influence Taiwanese politics? Taiwan's national security officials pointed out that before the 2024 presidential election, the security department had investigated more than 400 visiting groups to China, most of which were led by grassroots people such as village chiefs. China's Taiwan Affairs Office denied interfering in Taiwan's elections.

Taiwan’s current laws do not prohibit village chiefs from going to China for exchanges, but if they accept funding from Chinese officials or relevant units and influence elections or promote or canvass for specific candidates, they may violate the Anti-Infiltration Law and the Election and Strike Law. A senior district chief said that grassroots cross-Strait exchanges should not be regarded as a united front and urged the government to clarify the legal boundaries. China's Taiwan Affairs Office denied interfering in Taiwan's elections.