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Politics
Defense spending and local elections among key tests in coming year
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, left, is squaring off against an opposition coalition led by the Kuomintang, which recently elected Cheng Li-wun as its chair. (Source photos by Sae Kamae and Tsukasa Hadano)
THOMPSON CHAU
December 31, 2025 14:26 JST
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — When Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te took the oath of office in May 2024, it was clear he would have to contend with an opposition coalition in control of the legislature and China increasingly flexing its muscles. Heading into 2026, the gulf between Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party administration and the opposition coalition led by the Kuomintang has only widened.