TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- A Taiwanese Facebook group yesterday (Nov. 21) posted a diagram outlining how it alleges China is using both private and official channels to try to manipulate the results of Taiwan's elections, which will be held on Nov. 24.

On Nov. 21, the Taiwanese Facebook group @letsupupup (鄉民挺起來) posted a diagram titled "How China interferes in Taiwan's elections." The diagram was outlined by Wang Li (王立), the graph was created by @letsupupup, and it was translated by Paul Huang (Twitter account @PaulHuangReport). The diagram details how the group believes China is using both official and private channels to back pro-China candidates and its secretly-selected candidates (Manchurian candidates), politicians, and officials.

When asked by Taiwan News to state their political affiliation, @letsupupup said:

"The villagers stand up to advocate for Taiwan and China, each side is a separate country. Taiwan has a constitution and builds a nation with self-determination."

Official Channels

According to the diagram, Chinese State Owned Companies (SOEs) and Academia/Cultural Industry share inside information and directives to trolls in forums, internet celebrities, media pundits, and other influencers. In terms of funding and directives, they allegedly engage in money laundering through crowdfunding, third party payments, overseas funding.

It claims the funding is then directed toward pro-unification groups and gangs to disrupt the democratic process and engage in criminal activity. The chart lists election betting, buying out local gangs, and controlling local religious groups as examples of ways to instigate generational conflict, create pro-China sentiment, and buy votes.

Social Media

The chart depicts social media as central cog in the Chinese election manipulation machine. It lists social media pundits, celebrities, forums, cyber-stars, and Facebook pages as all working together to provide fake opinion polls, manipulate public opinion, and misdirect public attention. These are all shown as being fed directly by the SOE's and Academia/Cultural Industry or via troll farms.

Chinese-directed social media outlets are show being fed video and viral propaganda material by internet media advertisements. They will then add this content their arsenal to influence traditional media and manipulate the public discourse.

Private Channels

In the first stage of the private channels, pro-China Taiwanese businesses provide funding, other businesses are threatened to serve as money laundering front, and Taiwanese media is coerced to collaborate. The funds harvested from these operations are then depicted as going to money laundering placement hubs where the funds are distributed to fake political parties and pro-China politicians, and then on to internet media advertisements. Funds are also allegedly directed towards click farms/troll farms, and social media.

The fake political parties and pro-China politicians then are depicted as either making political donations or other miscellaneous funds to pro-China candidates, further laundering the money through "grassroots campaigns," or laundering the money through crowdfunding, though the makers of the chart mark this as the only part that has "no solid evidence."

Below is a version of the diagram posted on Imgur: