Hilton Yip

Opinion | Taiwan’s incoming government faces tough task to win back public

A series of high-profile incidents and scandals, plus heightened cross-strait tensions, have piled the pressure on president-elect William Lai and his team before they even take office

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Hilton Yip

Published: 9:15am, 20 Apr 2024Updated: 10:32am, 20 Apr 2024

Taiwan’s government under President Tsai Ing-wen has entered its final month before president-elect William Lai Ching-te takes over on May 20. It has already faced a series of controversies and crises this year, the most serious of which involved mainland Chinese coastguard ships surrounding Quemoy, after two Chinese fishermen died in a collision with a Taiwanese coastguard vessel.

As a result, Lai could find his hands full as soon as he assumes office, especially if the situation around Quemoy – also called Kinmen – gets worse. Located just across from the mainland city of Xiamen and featuring a small garrison, Quemoy is vulnerable to blockade and seizure.

Since the death of the fishermen on February 14, multiple mainland Chinese coastguard vessels have entered Quemoy’s waters on several occasions. Taiwan’s coastguard initially denied there had been a collision or that there was video footage of the pursuit of the mainland vessel before later admitting the footage did exist. Taiwan’s coastguard minister apologised, but requests by Beijing for Taiwanese officers to be handed over for questioning have been denied.

The following week, mainland Chinese coastguard troops boarded and searched a Taiwanese cruise ship near Quemoy. Two Taiwanese fishermen were also detained on March 18, one of whom was handed back. The other remains in mainland custody after being found to be a Taiwanese soldier.

Given Quemoy’s proximity to the mainland, Taiwan would probably struggle to reinforce it should Beijing launch a military operation or decide to blockade it.

There have been reports that US troops have been training with Taiwanese forces on outlying islands including Quemoy and Penghu, although Admiral John Aquilino, head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, denied suggestions that US personnel were permanently stationed on Quemoy. As such, the situation around the outlying islands is precarious and could be a potential flashpoint for conflict.