Ahead of the year-end local elections, Taiwan's ruling party has published seven categories of conduct that may be unlawful when carried out "in coordination with Chinese election interference" — a clear warning to anyone hoping to accept benefits from China before the vote.

• The Democratic Progressive Party's Department of China Affairs has catalogued seven illegal acts, including accepting instructions or funding from China to recruit participants for tour groups to China, producing fake opinion polls, campaigning for particular candidates, acting as an intermediary to pass on instructions, and recruiting members or gathering intelligence for China.
• It is not only those who take the money who face trouble: recruiters, those who mobilise publicity, and even ordinary voters who accept hospitality and agree to vote a certain way may bear criminal liability.
• Under the Anti-Infiltration Act, the National Security Act, the Criminal Code and the Public Officials Election and Recall Act, the maximum penalty is 15 years' imprisonment.
• Reporting foreign forces' interference in elections can earn a reward of up to NT$20 million, and reporting election gambling pools up to NT$5 million; the identity of informants is kept strictly confidential.
• The public is urged to preserve evidence such as conversations, itineraries and remittance records, and to observe the principles of "don't accept, don't go, don't follow instructions, don't help forward messages."

Outlook: As the elections draw closer, Chinese election-interference tactics are expected to peak, and investigations and reports of such cases may increase markedly.