Taiwan public voices dissatisfaction with Lai's incompetence

China

Taiwan public voices dissatisfaction with Lai's incompetence

2025-05-21 22:34 Last Updated At：23:07

As Tuesday marked the first anniversary of Lai Ching-te's tenure as the leader of China's Taiwan region, a current affairs commentator on the island voiced dissatisfaction with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, citing incompetence in managing cross-Strait relations and addressing people's livelihood.

On May 20, Lai delivered a speech where he summarized what he characterized as the DPP's achievements across various domains over the past year. However, commentator Lai Yueh-chien believes that this is just self-boasting.

"He boasts about himself. If you look at what he says, no specific figures are provided. How much has the economy grown? How much has per capita income increased? How much has public security in Taiwan improved? The problem is that a lot of money has been spent, but there has been no progress at all. The vast majority of the people are dissatisfied with him. So, if you ask me to give a score to his performance, it would be a fail," said Lai Yueh-chien.

Over the past year, Lai has stubbornly sought a separatist stance, taken a wrong path of splitting the nation through soliciting external support or resorting to force, and incited cross-Strait confrontation to undermine cross-Strait peace and stability, triggering strong opposition from the people on the island.

"Why are spouses from the mainland forced to be separated from their families? Why can't people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have normal exchanges nowadays? Why has Taiwan been placed in such a situation and why have cross-Strait relations been made so tense? I believe these are where the public is most dissatisfied with him (Lai Ching-te)," said the commentator.

Recent public opinion surveys regarding Lai's governance have shown widespread dissatisfaction. Public opinion of the island believes that an increasing number of individuals will become disillusioned with him if Lai Ching-te continues to persist in prioritizing political struggles over economic development and people's well-being, and keeps undermining cross-strait relations and creating crises.

ROK president calls for learning lesson from anti-aggression history

The Republic of Korea (ROK) and China should cherish the historical experience of jointly resisting aggression and continue to work together for a prosperous future, said ROK President Lee Jae Myung.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Lee will pay a state visit to China from Jan 4 to 7. It will be Lee's first visit to China since he took office last year.

In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Seoul on Wednesday, Lee said that humanity must learn from the past to prevent the tragedy of war from repeating itself.

"While pursuing their own national interests to the fullest extent, countries must not harm the national interests of others, but should coexist peacefully. The act of invading other countries and massacring their people for one's own benefit must never be repeated. History of humanity often repeats itself, therefore we must learn from the past. In this regard, I believe the historical experience of ROK and China in resisting aggression and fighting together is invaluable. Of course, while historical experience is important, we cannot remain stuck in the past. For a better future for the people of both countries, we need to continuously explore possibilities for working together towards the future," said the president.