A Taiwanese local official has been jailed for taking a Chinese government-funded trip aimed at swaying voters, a warning shot for China's influence work on the island.

• Yao Wei-hua, a borough chief in New Taipei's Tucheng district, got 2 years 6 months in prison; association head Chien An-shih got 4 years 8 months. Taiwan's Supreme Court rejected their appeals, so the case is final.
• Chien took funding from Nanjing's Taiwan affairs office and had Yao recruit five borough chiefs plus nine friends and relatives for a China trip in late 2023.
• The group paid only for flights; food and lodging were free. At banquets, Chinese officials pushed "both sides are one family" and backed a specific opposition alliance ahead of Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections.
• A lower court had acquitted both, finding no proven vote-buying deal, but the high court ruled the free hospitality was an improper benefit tied to how people would vote, and added extra punishment under the anti-infiltration law.
• Both men also lose their civil rights; the other travelers were not charged.

Outlook: Expect Taiwanese prosecutors to keep leaning on the anti-infiltration law against China-funded junkets as the next election cycle approaches.