Can Taiwan's KMT stay relevant with long-shot bid to unseat island's leader William Lai?
Taiwan's main opposition party, the
Kuomintang (KMT), has launched a push to unseat Taiwanese leader
William Lai Ching-te in what analysts characterised as a desperate bid to reverse its deepening crisis amid a sweeping recall campaign targeting its lawmakers.
Advertisement
Over the past several weeks, the Beijing-friendly KMT has seen a surge in recall petitions led by pro-Lai supporters, targeting its 35 district-elected legislators. At the same time, dozens of local KMT officials have been arrested for allegedly forging documents in counter-recall efforts against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers.
Prosecutors also raided KMT local chapter headquarters across the island – from Taipei and New Taipei to Keelung, Yilan, Taichung and Tainan – seizing stacks of documents that could be used in future legal proceedings.
Legislators from the KMT and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) – who together have held a narrow legislative majority – have faced mounting criticism from Taiwan-centric civic groups for obstructing the Lai administration.
Lai's team has repeatedly accused the opposition coalition of weaponising
legislative tools to slash government budgets and expand parliamentary powers. The moves have sparked not only domestic disapproval but also drawn concern from the United States and its allies, who have described the tactics as unreasonable and disruptive.
Advertisement
As the opposition has become increasingly embattled, many have questioned whether Taiwan still has a functioning opposition capable of holding the executive to account.
In one of his boldest political moves, the KMT's chairman, Eric Chu Li-luan, led a group of party officials and lawmakers in a protest outside the Taipei District Prosecutors Office on April 17, defying repeated police warnings. The demonstration followed the arrest of the leader of the KMT's Taipei chapter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Race is on to supplant China's rare earth dominance, reap critical metals in Brazil, US
Beijing's imposition of rare earth export restrictions from April – playing its trump card in the face of Washington's intensifying tariffs and tech curbs – helped send a message to Washington ahead of this week's discussions over bilateral export-control issues. Considered a trump card because rare earths have an outsized impact on auto, electronics and defence industries, and China dominates the supply chain, the trade in such critical minerals is widely expected to be among the key topics this week in discussions between high-ranking US officials and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng in London. Despite Beijing having pledged to accelerate export approvals , China's grip on the industry has amplified the question of whether Washington and its allies should do more to build an industrial chain outside of China, and at what cost. 'We'll start making a dent next year on the magnet side,' USA Rare Earth CEO Joshua Ballard said. 'We're not going to be the full answer, but we're going to make a dent.' USA Rare Earth runs a magnet-making plant in the US state of Oklahoma, where it expects annual revenue of up to US$800 million, at full capacity, from clients eager for components that build consumer electronics, electric vehicles and robotics. The same company is currently working on separation technology for its rare earth deposit in the neighbouring state of Texas, again serving eager American clients.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Why red tape is a bigger challenge than US for China's military-civilian fusion plan
For decades, China's talk of letting the private sector bid for defence orders had mostly been just that: talk. Advertisement State-owned conglomerates had dominated the sector for decades, but in the middle of 2016, Beijing started to step up its military-civilian fusion strategy, publishing an official list of the sectors where private firms were being encouraged to contribute, such as swarming drone technologies. The plan is a central pillar of China's ambition to develop a modernised military by 2035 and world-class armed forces by 2049. Most details of the military-civilian fusion plan – which aims to accelerate the integration of military and civilian technology and military technology to boost civilian development – have not been made public. However, Beijing has credited it with helping develop advanced equipment for the People's Liberation Army and improving training, planning and logistics. Advertisement However, the plan also carries risks for the private sector. The strategy has become a focal point of the US-China rivalry and as a result, Washington has placed a range of sanctions on a wide range of Chinese companies accused of helping the PLA, which range from semiconductor and artificial intelligence firms to drone makers.
South China Morning Post
15 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China's defence chief Dong Jun backs South Africa against ‘bullying' amid US tensions
Beijing is ready to work with South Africa to oppose global 'hegemony and bullying', Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun said on Tuesday, amid growing tensions between Pretoria and Washington over South Africa's ties to Russia and controversial US asylum policies. The remarks came during a meeting in Beijing with General Rudzani Maphwanya, chief of the South African National Defence Force, according to a statement released by China's Ministry of National Defence. It was Dong's first public appearance since he skipped the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore – Asia's top security summit – in late May. China instead sent a lower-level academic delegation, sparking speculation about Beijing's current stance towards multilateral security platforms amid complex US-China relations. Dong on Tuesday stressed historical links that were rooted in China's support for the African National Congress during apartheid. 'China and South Africa forged a special bond of comradeship and brotherhood through historical struggles,' Dong said. 'We are willing to work together to uphold true multilateralism and jointly oppose hegemony and bullying, power politics, and bloc division and confrontation.' Beijing is promoting its Global Security Initiative as an alternative approach that prioritises dialogue over confrontation, partnerships over alliances and mutually beneficial outcomes over zero-sum competition.
