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Instead of stubbornly pushing for a constitutional interpretation of the Constitutional Court Procedure Act, President Lai Ching-te should return to the proper path and re-nominate candidates for grand justices of the Judicial Yuan.

President Lai’s Renominating Grand Justices Wiser than Forcing Constitutional Interpretation

 

The public is extending close scrutiny to how President Lai Ching-te will proceed after receiving the Legislative Yuan’s notification of the reconsideration motion on the Constitutional Court Procedure Act. It is expected that he will complete the promulgation process within a few days.

Following the Executive Yuan's failure to pass the reconsideration of the Constitutional Court Procedure Act, the pressure now shifts to President Lai. Key decisions include when to promulgate the new law, whether to request constitutional interpretation under the pretext of “preventive legal remedy,” and who should make such a request. Each step involves complex political calculations, constitutional legal confrontations, and tests of the public's patience. However, a simpler solution exists: President Lai could re-nominate impartial and independent grand justices to restore the operation of the Constitutional Court. But will President Lai, emboldened by political battles, step back and take this course? 

The Lai administration is using the execution of the death penalty to salvage its governing disadvantage and hopes to appeal to the public who support abolishing the death penalty.

In Light of Backlash Against Abolition, President Lai Executes Death Penalty for the First Time

 

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) whip Legislator Ker Chien-ming is using the tactic of "dragging things out with great effort" to intentionally break down cross-party negotiations and create a climate for an all-out recall campaign.

DPP Causes Breakdown of Budget Negotiations for Political Purposes

 

Review of the central government’s annual general budget by the Legislative Yuan is approaching the final stretch. The total budget this year, reaching a historic high of nearly NT$3.2 trillion (about US$97.2 billion), faces an unprecedented proposed cut and freeze of over NT$320 billion (about US$9.7 billion). Premier Cho Jung-tai has personally stepped in, holding a press conference to emphasize that such “unreasonable” budget cuts would lead to a “weakened national strength.” Meanwhile, Legislator Ker Chien-ming, whip of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus of the Legislative Yuan, has employed filibustering tactics during two consecutive days of negotiations with opposition parties, leading to prolonged debates and heated exchanges, yet with no conclusion reached. With time running out, it seems increasingly unlikely that the budget will pass its third reading without facing what the administration calls “unreasonable cuts.”

The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan released the 2025 Business Climate Survey. Over 80 percent of respondents are concerned about Taiwan's future energy supply, and more than half surveyed urge the government to prioritize energy sufficiency in the coming year.

January 13:
The Ministry of Finance released a report on cryptocurrency income tax regulations. In 2024, it uncovered NT$129 million (about US$3.8 million) in under-reported virtual currency income, leading to NT$34 million (about US$1 million) in additional taxes and fines. The Financial Supervisory Commission is deliberating on a specific law on virtual assets to better manage and collect tax data, curb tax evasion, and achieve fair taxation.

 

January 14:
Eleven counties and cities across Taiwan are vying for Nvidia's presence. During the opening of a new innovation base in Silicon Valley, Minister Liu Chin-ching of the National Development Council (NDC) seemingly let slip that Nvidia's Asia headquarters would be in Taipei, with the Asian R&D center in Kaohsiung. Additionally, AMD chose Tainan for its R&D center. Minister Liu's comments caused a stir, prompting the NDC to emphasize that the location should be announced by the company itself.

January 14: 
Environmental groups questioned the Ministry of Environment's (MOENV) release of air quality monitoring data, accusing it of not adopting data from automatic monitoring stations and under-estimating PM2.5 values, thereby glossing over worsening air pollution.

The MOENV reported an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 12.5 µg/m³ across Taiwan by the end of last November, down from 13.7 µg/m³ the previous year. However, environmental groups indicated that automatic monitoring stations indicated an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 14.2 µg/m³, higher than the previous year and far form meeting the World Health Organization's (WHO) standard of 5 µg/m³.

January 15:

The Legislative Yuan passed the amended Constitutional Court Procedure Act in its third reading, which the Executive Yuan brought a reconsideration case, citing significant hindrances, but it was still overruled by the Legislative Yuan. Before President Lai Ching-te promulgated the new law, 51 ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers jointly filed for a temporary injunction. Both the Judicial Yuan and Ministry of Justice support the Executive Yuan's idea of "preventive legal remedy" vis-à-vis the amended Constitutional Court Procedure Act. 

 

According to the latest poll by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation, 50 percent of the public support the amendment, while only 29 percent oppose it.

 

 

January 16:
Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien signed the executive order for death row inmate Huang Lin-kai, who committed murder and rape in 2013, strangling his ex-girlfriend and her mother. Huang was executed on the evening of January 16. President Lai stated in an interview on January 17 that the death penalty is constitutional and expressed his hope that the public would support the Ministry of Justice in administering the law. This is the third execution since the DPP returned to power in 2016, the first under President Lai, and the first execution since the Constitutional Court ruled the death penalty constitutional last year. There are still 36 death row inmates in prison.

 

January 16:
The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan released the 2025 Business Climate Survey, revealing that 78 percent of respondents are concerned about green energy supply issues, and 82 percent are worried about Taiwan's future energy supply. Over half of the respondents urged the government to prioritize energy sufficiency in the coming year, an increase of 13 percentage points from last year.

 

January 17:

Mainland China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism suddenly announced on its official website that it would soon resume group travel for residents of Fujian Province and Shanghai to Taiwan. The Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) of the mainland's State Council subsequently stated that it hopes the DPP will heed mainstream public opinion and industry voices, lift the ban on group travel to Taiwan, cancel travel warnings to the mainland, and fully restore cross-strait direct flights. The Mainland Affairs Council stated that communication should proceed via the "little two associations," namely the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association (TST) and Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits (ATETS), but did not respond to the three appeals made by the TAO.

 

January 17:

The sixth preliminary environmental impact assessment meeting for the Keelung fourth natural gas receiving station was held, and after a rapid series of discussions, it was decided that both approval and rejection cases will be submitted to the environmental impact assessment conference for discussion. Chairman Tseng Wen-sheng of the Taiwan Power Company stated after the meeting that time puts significant pressure on the company, which is bidding for a quick approval. Environmental groups emphasized that the meeting's conclusion reflects high controversy of the project, demanding that the development unit fully address important issues. The environmental impact assessment for the project has been disputed for six years.