The Taipei 101 skyscraper commands the urban landscape in Taipei, Taiwan. [Photo/Xinhua]
The Chinese Kuomintang party, Taiwan's major opposition party, held a rally on Monday to express people's dissatisfaction with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party as the island leader Lai Ching-te approaches his one-year anniversary in office on Tuesday.
According to reports from Taiwan media, a motorcade proceeded to the DPP headquarters, where participants honked their horns twice to express their anger and signify their demand for Lai to step down.
Eric Chu Li-luan, the chairman of the KMT, said that the past year has been a year of great misfortune for Taiwan and the people, and the most confrontational year across the Taiwan Strait as the incompetent government only engaged in internal strife.
Recent polls conducted in Taiwan have revealed a stark public dissatisfaction with Lai and the ruling DPP.
A TVBS poll indicated that Lai's dissatisfaction rating has reached 55 percent, marking a new high since he assumed office.
Additionally, a survey published by the United Daily News showed that 53 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with Lai's governance performance, while only 37 percent expressed satisfaction. The dissatisfaction level represents the highest for an island leader nearing their first anniversary in recent years.
Wang Dan-ping, a professor at Taiwan's Fu Jen Catholic University, said that cross-Strait relations have grown increasingly tense and complex since the DPP relies on the United States for separation and even openly labeled the mainland as an "external hostile force".
"The current cross-Strait situation favors the mainland given its confidence and strength, and Taiwan should consider what path it should take in the future," he said, adding that Taiwan should view the mainland as family rather than as an enemy and only by doing so can there be peace between the two sides.
