Buffeted by political chaos, Taiwan's Lai marks first year in office
TAIPEI - Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te celebrates his first year in office on Tuesday as his government grapples with Chinese military pressure, US tariff threats and domestic political turmoil.
Lai, a staunch defender of Taiwan's sovereignty and detested by Beijing, is scheduled to deliver a speech and take questions from the media at 0130 GMT.
Taiwan's coast guard warned Monday that China may use "cognitive warfare" to "disrupt public morale" as Lai marks the first anniversary of his inauguration.
China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it, held large-scale military drills around the island days after Lai took office.
After promising to stand up to China and defend democracy at his inauguration, Lai is expected to highlight "democratic Taiwan, resilience and unity" in his address, the semi-official Central News Agency reported.
Lai has seen his first term in the top job engulfed in domestic political turmoil as opposition parties seek to stymie his agenda.
While Lai was elected in January 2024 with 40 percent of the vote, his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in parliament.
-Fights in parliament -
The main opposition Kuomintang party (KMT), which has friendly ties with China, has teamed up with the Taiwan People's Party to challenge the government's policies, including slashing the general budget.
Tensions have escalated into physical fights inside parliament and thousands of supporters of the DPP and opposition parties holding rival street protests.
The KMT has called Lai a "dictator" and accused him of pushing Taiwan closer to war with China, while the DPP suggests the KMT is a tool of Beijing and is undermining Taiwan's security.
Lai has seen his approval rating fall to 45.9 percent from 58 percent nearly a year ago, according to a survey by Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation in April.
His disapproval rating rose to 45.7 percent -- the highest since he took office -- which the polling group linked to the Lai government's handling of US tariffs on Taiwan and the DPP's unprecedented recall campaign targeting the opposition.
DPP supporters are seeking to unseat around 30 KMT lawmakers through a legal process that allows legislators to be removed before the end of their term.
While the threshold for a successful recall is high, the DPP only needs to win six seats to wrest back control of parliament.
A rival campaign to unseat 15 DPP members has been embroiled in controversy after KMT staffers were accused of forging the signatures of dead people.
The KMT has also threatened to recall Lai.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
34 minutes ago
- eNCA
Gay Chinese couple fulfil wedding dream in 'freer' Thailand
When Wang Zengyi, 41, and Song Jihan, 29, first met at a friend's dinner party in China, it was love at first sight. "I thought he was handsome and pure," says Wang. "Our love has deepened over time." Nearly three years later, the gay Chinese couple are getting married in Thailand, which became Asia's largest nation to legalise same-sex marriage earlier this year -– including for foreign couples. They are among the first Chinese LGBTQ pairs to tie the knot in the Southeast Asian country as it celebrates its first Pride since the law's passage. AFP | Lillian SUWANRUMPHA "Thailand is a freer country," said Wang after they signed their marriage certificate at a Bangkok registry office. "It's also more inclusive to our community." He believes they are the first gay Chinese couple to host a full wedding ceremony in Thailand, but that "gradually" more will follow in their footsteps. "I think we are unique so far... but I hope we can have a positive influence." They enlisted the help of an agent and a consultant to organise the wedding and paperwork to finally make their dream come true. - Bureaucratic hurdles - Chinese authorities decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, but same-sex marriage is not legal and social stigma is widespread. Despite a period of relative relaxation in the 2000s to mid-2010s, rights groups say recent years have seen a crackdown on the community's spaces and freedom of expression. Real estate agent Owen Zhu has a property business in Thailand that also helps gay Chinese couples come to Thailand to get married. Zhu, 40, said that the biggest difficulties couples like Wang and Song face are linked to paperwork, as well as prejudice. It is difficult for Chinese LGBTQ individuals to obtain the certificate of single status required by Thailand proving that they are not married, he told AFP. China also does not recognise same-sex marriages registered abroad. AFP | Lillian SUWANRUMPHA But Zhu believes that despite China's bureaucratic hurdles, there will be a rise in the number of Chinese couples looking to wed and even live long-term in Thailand. "There is large market demand from many Chinese same-sex couples," he says. "Thailand is a particularly tempting place, allowing freedom to do things not possible in China, like holding hands or kissing in public with a partner. In China, they may not dare do such things." Zhu says the simple act of signing a marriage document is deeply meaningful for his clients. "Though this piece of paper might not be recognised in China, in their hearts, they see it as recognition and acceptance from the world," he says. - Love ballads, vows - More than 30 countries have legalised marriage for all since the Netherlands became the first to allow same-sex unions in 2001. Thailand was the third place in Asia after Taiwan and Nepal. The kingdom ranks high on recent indexes measuring public attitudes towards LGBTQ people, but matching legal structures were absent before it passed the same-sex marriage bill in a historic parliamentary vote last June. Thousands of couples across the kingdom tied the knot in a mass wedding the day same-sex unions became legal in January this year. Chris Yan, a legal consultant who helped Wang and Song navigate Thai administration to formalise their partnership, says the process for foreigners to register their marriage in Thailand is fairly smooth as long as they can provide the necessary documents. AFP | Lillian SUWANRUMPHA "I believe it is more advanced than many other countries, since the cost in Thailand is quite low," he says. "They can stay in the country for longer and processing the documents is quicker." Surrounded by dozens of close friends and their ring-bearing small fluffy dog, Wang and Song sing love ballads to each other on a sandy Pattaya beach before tearfully reading their wedding vows. They will return home to China after their honeymoon, but hope to eventually retire in Thailand. Life is short, is the message they have for other couples like them. Wang said: "Be with the one you want to be with."
eNCA
12 hours ago
- eNCA
At least 7 dead after Russian bridge collapses onto railway
RUSSIA - At least seven people were killed late Saturday and dozens injured after a bridge collapsed onto a railway in a Russian region bordering Ukraine, officials said, in an incident the railway operator blamed on "illegal interference". A train travelling from the Russian border town of Klimovo to the capital Moscow was derailed in the incident, authorities said, without giving details. Videos posted on social media showed rescuers working at the site of a large mound of rubble covering what appeared to be a train belonging to national operator Russian Railways, while another showed people shouting in distress. "There are seven dead as a result of the collapse of a bridge onto railway tracks," Aleksandr Bogomaz, the Bryansk region's governor, wrote on Telegram. At least 69 others were injured, including three children, he added. Moscow Railways, a state-owned subsidiary, said a passenger train derailed "between Klimov and Moscow due to the collapse of a road bridge span, as a result of illegal interference in the operation of transport". The incident happened at 10:44 pm (1944 GMT) between Pilshino and Vygonichi stations in the Bryansk region, the railway operator said on Telegram. The incident did not affect other train traffic, the firm added. In one video posted on social media, someone can be heard screaming as eyewitnesses rush to find help. "How did the bridge collapse? There are children there!" a woman can be heard shouting in the video. - 'Illegal interference' - Photos published online by Russian authorities showed a collapsed section of the bridge and damaged vehicles, as rescue workers were deployed overnight. The disaster area is around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Russia's emergency ministry said a team was on site, while Russian Railways said it had dispatched repair trains to the scene. Prosecutors said they had opened an investigation. Authorities did not explain how the incident happened and what the railway operator meant by "illegal interference". Ukraine, which Russia has blamed for previous incidents, did not immediately comment. Russia has been hit by dozens of sabotage attacks since Moscow launched its offensive against Ukraine in 2022, many targeting its vast railroad network. Kyiv says Russia uses railroads to transport troops and weaponry to its forces fighting in Ukraine. The incident came just two days before a possible meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul, amid a US-led diplomatic push to end the three-year conflict.
eNCA
a day ago
- eNCA
South Koreans rally for presidential hopefuls days before vote
Thousands of supporters of South Korea's two leading presidential candidates rallied in Seoul on Saturday, three days before a vote triggered by the ex-leader's disastrous declaration of martial law. Tuesday's election caps months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon Suk Yeol's brief suspension of civilian rule in December, for which he was impeached and removed from office. All major polls have put liberal Lee Jae-myung well ahead in the presidential race, with a recent Gallup survey showing 49 percent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate. Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) that Yoon left this month, trailed Lee on 35 percent. Organisers from both camps told police they expected tens of thousands of supporters to rally in Seoul on Saturday. In Seocho, in the south of the capital, Lee supporters gathered holding signs condemning Yoon's "insurrection". "I believe the outcome of the presidential election is already decided," Lee Kyung-joon, a Lee supporter, told AFP. "I came to today's rally to help condemn the forces involved in the martial law attempt," he said, referring to ex-president Yoon's political allies. Yoon is on trial for insurrection and Kwon Oh-hyeok, one of the organisers of Saturday's rally, said a Lee Jae-myung victory in Tuesday's vote was crucial to holding him accountable. "Isn't the People Power Party's decision to run in the snap election -- triggered by Yoon's removal from office -- an insult and a betrayal of the people?" Kwon told rally participants. "Fellow citizens, we must win by a landslide to deliver the justice this moment demands." In Gwanghwamun Square on the other side of town, conservatives -- including supporters of disgraced ex-leader Yoon -- filled the streets holding signs that read "Yoon Again" and "Early voting is invalid!" Yoon's martial law attempt, which he claimed was necessary to "root out" pro–North Korean, "anti-state" forces, emboldened a wave of extreme supporters including far-right YouTubers and radical religious figures. AFP | Pedro Pardo Many have spread unverified content online, including allegations of Chinese espionage and fraud within South Korea's electoral system. That sentiment was on full display at Saturday's conservative rally, where protesters called for the dissolution of the National Election Commission over a series of mishaps during the two-day early voting period this week. "People believe the root of all these problems lies with the National Election Commission, and that it should be held accountable," protester Rhee Kang-san told AFP. Ex-president Yoon sent a message to the conservative rally through a group led by a far-right Christian figure, which was read aloud by a supporter on his behalf. "Our country is now facing a grave and unprecedented crisis," Yoon's message said, urging people to vote for the PPP candidate Kim. "If we miss this opportunity, we may have to pay a heavy price in time and sacrifice, and the restoration of free democracy and a normal state may no longer be possible," the former president said, according to supporter Lee Dong-ho, who read the message aloud and shared it with AFP. - Deepening polarisation - Both frontrunner Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party and conservative challenger Kim have cast the race as a battle for the soul of the country. More than a third of those eligible cast their ballots in early voting on Thursday and Friday, according to the election commission. AFP | ANTHONY WALLACE Overseas voting reached a record high, with nearly four-fifths of the 1.97 million eligible voters casting their ballots last week. Experts say that, regardless of who wins, South Korea's polarisation is likely to deepen. If Lee wins, the conservatives "will do whatever it takes to undermine him and his government, whether their logic makes sense or not", political analyst Park Sang-byung told AFP. "Unless the PPP distances itself from Yoon's extremist base, it could turn to misinformation -- such as unfounded claims of election fraud -- to mobilise the right against Lee. That's a troubling prospect," he said. Whoever succeeds Yoon will also have to grapple with a worsening economic downturn, one of the world's lowest birth rates, the soaring cost of living and bellicose neighbour North Korea. He will also have to navigate a mounting superpower standoff between the United States, South Korea's traditional security guarantor, and China, its largest trade partner. By Claire Lee
