ISSUE 305                                                                                          July 28, 2025
Not a Single Seat Recalled! DPP's Sweeping Campaign Against Opposition Legislators Completely Failed 
● This Week in Taiwan: 
Other Important Events This Week 




Publishers
taiwanweekly2019@gmail.com
The mass recall campaign initiated by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters not only failed to succeed in any case but was also seen as a vote of no confidence against the administration of President Lai Ching-te.
Featured Editorial

Recall Failure Reflects Vote of No Confidence Against President Lai 

 

The aggressive recall campaign orchestrated by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came to a dramatic and moving end yesterday, marked by complete failure—not a single legislator was successfully recalled. The most crucial factor behind this unexpected outcome was the surge of silent voters who turned out en masse to cast “no” votes against the recall, effectively thwarting the Lai administration’s attempt to consolidate power through questionable means. The message sent by these outraged citizens was loud and clear—a resounding rebuke to the government. Can President Lai Ching-te and Premier Cho Jung-tai really pretend they didn’t hear it? 
Featured Editorial 
taiwanweekly2019@gmail.com
The main reason for the campaign's failure was the DPP's reckless political labeling and political infighting, which voters found unacceptable.

"Resist China to Protect Taiwan" Narrative Chief Reason Behind Failure 

 

The "mass recall" vote has concluded. All 24 legislators and the new mayor of Hsinchu survived the challenge. In some cases, the number of "no" votes even exceeded the original number of votes received when these legislators were elected. This was not merely a battle for the Kuomintang (KMT) to defend its territory—it hinted at the potential to expand its influence. Undoubtedly, this is a major setback for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which sought to overturn its minority in the legislature, and for President Lai Ching-te, who has spent his first year in office focused almost solely on this effort. 
Featured Opinion 
taiwanweekly2019@gmail.com
The DPP's non-nuclear energy policy has been criticized as unscientific and harmful to the public, with concerns that energy mismanagement could jeopardize national security and people's livelihood.

Non-Nuclear "New Five Noes" A National Security Threat 

 

Former U.S. Naval Intelligence Director Rear Admiral Michael Studeman on July 23 stated that he supports energy diversification for Taiwan and believes that Taiwan should have at least one nuclear power plant. This is not the first time that American personnel have expressed concern over the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)’s energy policy. In fact, even without the United States stating it explicitly, a single typhoon has already brutally torn apart the truth behind the ruling party’s proudly proclaimed "nuclear-free homeland." 
This Week in Taiwan
taiwanweekly2019@gmail.com
Executive Director Hsiao Hsu-tsen of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation believes that recent messages from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) suggest involvement in Taiwan's politics, including the recall efforts.

July 21: 

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) released information that the United States and Taiwan are negotiating cooperation to establish spaceport. However, details regarding location selection in Taiwan were later removed from the statement, sparking public speculation. Executive Director Hsiao Hsu-tsen of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation commented that the AIT's recent communications have carried a tone of involvement in Taiwan's domestic politics, including recall cases, suggesting implicit support for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). 

 

July 22: 

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced that second-quarter export orders reached $171.1 billion, setting a historical high for the same period. While the tariff-driven stockpiling trend towards the United States is tapering off, stronger-than-expected demand for AI-related business opportunities helped boost first-half export orders to $320.57 billion, a year-on-year increase of 6.6 percent, surpassing expectations. 

 

July 23: 

The Hankyoreh newspaper in South Korea exclusively reported that prosecutors investigating the martial law case of former President Yoon Suk-yeol discovered that Moon Sang-ho, then Intelligence Commander, visited Taiwan in November last year to seek its support for emergency martial law. The Office of the President denied the report's contents. When Yoon declared martial law, the DPP initially expressed affirmation on social media but deleted the post following public backlash. 

 

July 23:

Legislator Huang Kuo-chang of the Taiwan People's Party revealed that National Policy Advisor Chen Kuo-chin leveraged his role as a financier for the DPP to win a government contract worth over NT$10 billion (about US$339 million) for operating military clothing retail outlets. One of the review committee members was an independent director of the winning company, raising suspicions of undue influence. The Army Command Headquarters stated that an investigation is underway. 

 

July 24: 

A major shift has occurred in Taiwan's financial holding landscape. Taishin Financial Holding and Shin Kong Financial Holding have officially merged to form Taishin Shin Kong Financial Holding. With total assets exceeding NT$8.3 trillion (about US$281 billion), it now ranks as the fourth-largest financial holding company, setting the stage for new competition with Cathay, Fubon, and CTBC. 

 

July 24:

The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) U.S. production costs have drawn attention for their pricing implications. At an AI event in Washington, AMD CEO Lisa Su revealed that U.S. production costs exceed Taiwan's by more than 5 percent but less than 20 percent and is worth it, clearly outlining the price differential. 

 

July 25:

During a Legislative Yuan vote to confirm grand justice nominees of the Constitutional Court, Judicial Yuan, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) unanimously voted "no." As a result, none of the seven nominees met the approval threshold. This marks the second time that President Lai Ching-te's grand justice nominations have been completely rejected by the legislature. Notably, the DPP allowed free voting on nominees Chen Tzu-yang and Chan Chen-jung, with several DPP lawmakers also casting dissenting votes. 

 

July 26:

In the first round of voting on the mass recall launched against opposition parties, "no" votes led throughout the count. Ultimately, all recall motions targeting 24 KMT legislators and TPP-affiliated Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao failed. Both the KMT and TPP called upon President Lai to apologize and end the political in-fighting. 
Published since 2019 by the Fair Winds Foundation and Association of Foreign Relations, Taiwan Weekly provides in-depth report and analysis of the major issues facing Taiwan.

The conclusions and recommendations of any Taiwan Weekly article are solely those of its author(s) and do not reflect the views of the institutions that publish the newsletter.

6F, No. 261, Sec. 3, Nanjing E. Rd., Songshan Dist., Taipei City 105, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

| |
View this email in your browser
You are receiving this email because of your relationship with Taiwan Weekly. Please reconfirm your interest in receiving emails from us. If you do not wish to receive any more emails, you can unsubscribe here.