Taipei: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te stated on Sunday his willingness to deliver a state-of-the-nation address in the Legislature but emphasized that he will not submit to questioning by lawmakers, citing constitutional restrictions.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Constitution and interpretations by the Constitutional Court permit a president to report to the Legislature through established procedures but do not allow legislative interpellation of the head of state. Lai’s comments came during a television interview where he addressed the ongoing stalemate in the Legislature over a proposed eight-year special defense budget of NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.81 billion). This budget proposal has been blocked four times by opposition lawmakers, who have demanded Lai answer questions in the Legislature.
Lai attributed the stalemate to the opposition lawmakers, highlighting their public support for increased defense spending both in Taiwan and internationally, despite their obstruction of the proposed defense budget’s review. The president also raised concerns about a proposed meeting between Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which reportedly includes preconditions such as assurances that the KMT will block the defense bill and national security legislation.
While the KMT has denied any preconditions, Lai noted that their continued obstruction without justification fuels public skepticism. He expressed doubt that a meeting between Cheng and Xi would occur without such preconditions.
Furthermore, Lai criticized the opposition-led Legislature for procedural abuses, including bypassing the committee stage and fast-tracking controversial bills to a second reading, as well as refusing to review arms procurement and central government budget bills. On the recent legislative motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against him, Lai asserted that opposition parties would ultimately face public judgment for attempting to remove a democratically elected president while commending leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping.
In terms of cross-strait relations, Lai reaffirmed Taiwan’s goodwill toward China, citing disaster relief donations and the fact that over 2 million Taiwanese travel to China annually.
