Asia | Courting disaster

Taiwan’s political drama is paralysing its government

Domestic dysfunction plays right into China’s hands

Protesters wear Taiwan People's Party former chairman Ko Wen-je's masks to protest against the perceived judicial injustice
Photograph: Getty Images
|TAIPEI

Tens of tHOUSANDS of people converged on Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, earlier this month. Placards depicted Lai Ching-te, the president, as a horned devil, with the words: “Recall the dictatorial emperor Lai.” The protest is just one act in a political drama that has roiled the island country for weeks.

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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Courting disaster”

From the January 25th 2025 edition

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