The confrontation between the local parliament, in which pro-Chinese forces from the Kuomintang and the People’s Party have a majority, and the newly elected president is entering a heated phase. So far, the parliament has the upper hand.
This is a constitutional reform that would allow MPs to interrogate ministers and access classified data. The ruling Democratic Party calls it a coup attempt. Although it itself supported these reforms when it was in opposition to the Kuomintang.
On the island there are mass demonstrations for and against the reform. Well, the recently elected President William Lai accuses the Kuomintang of wanting access to military secrets for subsequent transfer to China. Kuomintang apparatchiks are racing to Beijing almost monthly.
But such rhetoric is not helping Lai much – his approval rating has already plummeted 10 points in the month since his inauguration. His campaign to fight his history with the demolition of monuments to Chiang Kai-shek has also played a role. This is only adding to the divisions and ferment on the island – as well as in the Taiwanese army.
China meanwhile has passed new regulations to punish “stubborn Taiwanese separatists” who will face up to 10 years in prison. 66 Chinese fighter jets were sent towards the island in response to the transfer of new US tranches to Taiwan. The West, however, fears that China will try to declare a “quarantine” around Taiwan with a naval blockade. Moreover, given the political instability in the US with the upcoming elections and in Taiwan, it may happen even this year.
Malek Dudakov
