The Ciaotou District Court on August 21 sentenced Zhou Manzhi to one year and six months in prison after finding her guilty of acting on instructions from what Taiwan’s Anti-Infiltration Act defines as an “infiltration source” to campaign for Labor Party legislative candidate Zhan Xiuying.
The ruling is not yet final and can still be appealed.
But the 18-month sentence is only the latest development in a much broader case surrounding Zhou.
Court Says Zhou Helped Candidate While Following Orders From CCP-Linked Groups
According to the Ciaotou District Court, Zhou was originally from China and entered Taiwan as a Chinese spouse.
The court said she had previously been a member of the Shaanxi Province Patriotic Volunteer Association and the China Patriotism Volunteer Association.
Judges concluded that those organizations were substantially controlled by Chinese Communist Party united-front authorities and therefore qualified as “infiltration sources” under Taiwanese law.
The ruling said Zhou later established the Kaohsiung New Immigrants Sisters Care Association and the Taiwan New Immigrants Care Association, using her leadership positions to continue activities that the court described as advancing united-front objectives.
During Taiwan’s 2024 presidential and legislative elections, judges found that Zhou publicly supported Zhan Xiuying, a Labor Party legislative candidate who was also originally from China.
The court said Zhou appeared at campaign events, delivered public speeches and promoted the candidate online.
Judges concluded that Zhou’s intention was not simply ordinary political support.
According to the ruling, the effort was aimed at helping secure a legislative seat, expanding the political influence of organizations sympathetic to Beijing and carrying out objectives assigned by the alleged infiltration sources.
Judges Said Election Fairness Was Put at Risk
The three-judge panel said Zhou knew that the Chinese Communist Party had long attempted to influence Taiwan through military, cultural, diplomatic and political means.
Despite that, the court concluded, she continued to follow instructions connected to organizations under Chinese united-front influence and intervened in Taiwan’s election.
Judges said the conduct harmed the fairness and integrity of Taiwan’s democratic electoral process and warranted an 18-month prison sentence.
Zhou has denied wrongdoing in the proceedings.
Not Every Charge Against Zhou Stuck
The ruling was significant not only for what Zhou was convicted of, but also for what the court rejected.
Prosecutors had accused her of additional election-related activities, including alleged involvement in efforts connected to former independent presidential hopeful Terry Gou.
However, the court found Zhou not guilty on that portion.
Judges reasoned that Gou never ultimately appeared on the Central Election Commission’s official candidate list for the 2024 presidential election.
Because he did not become a legally registered candidate, the court concluded that Zhou’s alleged campaign activity on his behalf did not meet the necessary elements of the offense charged.
Other allegations involving hospitality provided in China and disputed polling-related activities also did not result in a conviction against Zhou in this ruling.
The Bigger Story: Zhou Was Already Sentenced to Eight Years
The latest 18-month sentence is separate from a far more serious National Security Act prosecution.
In January 2026, the Kaohsiung branch of Taiwan’s High Court sentenced Zhou to eight years in prison after finding that she developed organizations in Taiwan on behalf of Chinese entities controlled by CCP united-front authorities.
That case involved allegations that Zhou spent years establishing and expanding groups targeting Chinese spouses, immigrants and their children while promoting political and cross-strait activities that judges regarded as part of Beijing’s united-front strategy.
According to the High Court, Zhou obtained Taiwanese identification after arriving from China through marriage and later developed increasingly organized networks in Taiwan.
Judges said she communicated with individuals linked to Chinese united-front organizations, sought guidance and financial support, and promoted activities under the banner of cultural and economic exchanges.
The court characterized those activities as posing a substantive threat to Taiwan’s national security and social stability.
Taiwan’s Supreme Court later rejected Zhou’s appeal, making the eight-year sentence final in July.
Following that final conviction, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said Zhou’s Taiwanese residency status would be revoked under laws governing relations between Taiwan and China.
Why the Case Matters Beyond One Defendant
Zhou’s cases are attracting attention because Taiwanese authorities increasingly regard Beijing’s “united front” operations as a national-security threat that can operate through civic organizations, business networks, cultural exchanges, social groups and political campaigning rather than traditional espionage.
Taiwanese courts have increasingly been asked to decide when apparently civilian organizations or political activities cross the line into actions directed or funded by a foreign political force.
In Zhou’s eight-year National Security Act case, the High Court specifically determined that the Chinese organizations involved were effectively controlled by CCP united-front authorities despite being formally registered as nongovernmental groups.
That finding could have implications for other national-security investigations involving Chinese organizations that outwardly operate as private associations. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council previously described the final ruling as potentially important for future national-security prosecutions.
Co-Defendants Also Sentenced
The August 21 election-interference ruling involved several other defendants.
Hsu Wei-fu received a combined prison sentence of one year and 10 months for document-forgery offenses.
Wang Min was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for four years, and was also ordered to pay NT$300,000 to the public treasury, complete 120 hours of community service and attend legal education sessions.
Kuo Yung-tsung, secretary-general of the Taiwan New Immigrants Care Association, was acquitted.
Another defendant, Hsu Shao-tung, remains wanted by Taiwanese authorities, according to the court.
Taiwan’s Growing Battle Over Political Infiltration
The case arrives as Taiwan continues tightening scrutiny of alleged Chinese political influence ahead of future elections.
Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and has not renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claim.
Against that backdrop, Taipei has increasingly used the Anti-Infiltration Act and National Security Act to investigate activities allegedly conducted at the direction of Chinese political or state-linked organizations.
Zhou’s latest sentence illustrates how those two legal tracks can overlap.
One prosecution focused on the creation and operation of organizations allegedly serving Chinese united-front objectives.
The second focused more narrowly on what those networks allegedly did during an actual Taiwanese election.
And that distinction explains why the latest 18-month sentence is not simply an extension of the eight-year term, but a separate judgment over a different set of actions.
The August 21 verdict can still be appealed.
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