TAIWAN-CHINA Riots at Taipei Parliament on the eve of Lai’s inauguration

The inauguration speech of the new president, leader of the Democratic Progressive Party, who will begin his term on May 20, is expected. Meanwhile, in Parliament where the Kuomintang – closest to Beijing – has a majority, the discussion about a reform of the Legislative Branch with greater controls over the government has degenerated into a brawl. The challenge of maintaining the status quo in the face of China pushing for “reunification.”

Rome (/Agencies) – The inauguration, on Monday, May 20, of the new president elected last January, William Lai Ching-te, leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is eagerly awaited in Taipei. His victory, which he obtained with more than 40% of the votes, clearly indicates the position of the Taiwanese population, which in continuity with the mandate of the outgoing president Tasi Ing-wen does not want the unification of the “rebellious province” that the Republic People of China do not stop complaining, even with overflights of military aircraft. Lai’s clear victory, however, does not correspond to a majority in Parliament, which is in the hands of the opposition parties KMT and TPP, closer to Beijing.

The inauguration ceremony will then take place in a climate of strong political tensions. And yesterday a fight broke out in Parliament during discussions on a bill to reform the Legislative Branch. The initiative would give Parliament greater powers of control over the Executive Yuan – the government – and allow officials who make false statements during the legislature to be convicted. There were pushes and fights, and, in the middle, an attempt to steal the documents under study. The unrest was commented on early today on Facebook by Lai Ching-te himself, who called for a “rational” debate to restore harmony and obtain a consensus.

Meanwhile, the PDP leader’s words next Monday will be carefully analyzed by China and the United States, the island’s key partners. A senior official who will take over with Lai told Reuters, on condition of anonymity, that his speech will highlight the new Executive’s central commitment to maintaining the status quo in the island’s relations with Beijing. “We will talk about our stable and consistent approach, following the founding principles laid out by President Tsai,” she said. It is undoubtedly a position that will have to face growing pressure from China, which has rejected dialogue with the incoming president on several occasions and is insistently trying to bring Taiwan under its control, forcing it to recognize its sovereignty. But the position taken by Lai Ching-te and the DPP is that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.

The commitment to maintain the current international balance will, therefore, be the main challenge of the new government. “We will ensure that Taiwan plays an indispensable role in the global economy and geopolitics, maintaining the status quo and working with all parties to ensure that status quo is not broken,” the senior official continues. In any case, a clear position is expected in China from the new president, who has been accused on several occasions by his continental neighbor of supporting the formal independence of the island. Beijing maintains that such a scenario would be sufficient reason to carry out an attack on Taiwan.