The former pro-China mayor of Taiwan’s Kaohsiung has been elected speaker of the Legislative Yuan sparking local civic groups’ protests to “reject China’s choice”.
Han Kuo-yu of the main opposition and Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) emerged victorious after two rounds of voting on Thursday, an outcome that could challenge the ruling and pro-independent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which last month won the presidential election. Neither of the two parties, along with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), had more than half of the seats of the legislature – DPP with 51 seats, KMT 52, and TPP eight.
By law, the Speaker is to remain neutral in Parliament, but plays a crucial role in determining which bills are put up for discussion in the legislature that controls spending.
Speaking to reporters after his win, Han thanked the KMT and independent legislators, as well as urged the public to look forward to a new and reform-driven legislature that will create happiness for the Taiwanese people.
The DPP issued a statement to congratulate the new speaker, and emphasized that “in the future, the three parties will jointly bear the responsibility for national progress.”
Hours before the voting for speakership began, a coalition of about ten civic and non-governmental organizations gathered outside the legislature complex to protest against the voting for “China’s preferred candidate.”
“Kuo-yu becomes Speaker and introduces the Communist Party. We reject China’s choice. We don’t want China’s choice,” read one placard.
“Taiwan is the Taiwan of Taiwanese people, the Taiwan of the world, not the Taiwan of the Chinese Communist Party [CCP]. Stop lying to young people, and don’t go back to the old politics,” Kao Fan-hsi, leader of the rally, told the crowd.
Separately, the Taiwan Green Party, one of civic groups, stated: “Letting a person who agrees with the CCP’s ‘1992 consensus’ become the speaker of Taiwan’s parliament is probably the biggest breakthrough for the CCP to infiltrate and unite Taiwan. It is undoubtedly a humiliation and threat to Taiwan's democracy.”
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding reached in that year between the then-ruling KMT and Beijing. Both sides acknowledge that there is only “one China,” with each side free to interpret what that “one China” refers to.
Han seen as a “national security risk”
Elected as Kaohsiung’s mayor in late 2018, Han swiftly visited Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China in March of the following year. His meeting with Wang Zhimin, the then-director of China’s Liaison Office for Hong Kong and Macau, sparked significant controversy within Taiwan’s political spheres.
Before the speaker's vote on Thursday, president-elect Lai raised concerns about how Han’s election and potential meetings between the island’s mayors and Chinese officials would affect Taiwan’s international image.
After being sworn in, Han addressed Lai’s concerns directly, saying: “Don’t be overly nervous and don’t overinterpret.”
Han also affirmed his commitment to Taiwan, promising to uphold the constitution, remain neutral, and empower the Legislative Yuan to fulfill its duties and responsibilities.
Taiwan Association of University Professors President Chen Li-Fu described Han’s win as “an unprecedented congressional crisis.”
He believes that China had hoped for Han to be elected as Han has visited the Liaison Office and it would be no surprise if the speaker eventually visits or delivers a speech at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. The CPPCC is the CCP’s political advisory body.
“China’s preparations for the threat of force against Taiwan and its annexation ambitions have never stopped,” Chen told Radio Free Asia.
“In the future, when Han presides over discussions in the legislature, he doesn’t even need to object, but only has to be passive and uncooperative – the domestic submarine production or the US military procurement funds will be delayed, or initiate a technical delay of a few years until the United States no longer wants to sell, we’d achieve the goal.”
Although Taiwan only has 12 diplomatic allies, Chen stressed that the self-governing island, which Beijing considers its own, has maintained very close congressional exchanges in recent years with democratic countries including the United States, Japan, Australia, and in Europe.
Taiwan needs to leverage this second-track and alternate congressional diplomacy to increase its international space, he noted.
Translated by RFA staff. Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.