Taiwan President Lai’s approval rating at lowest after political setbacks
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Taiwan’s opposition parties and some industries have criticised President Lai Ching-te’s administration for allowing the US to impose a 20 per cent duty on Taiwan’s exports to America.
PHOTO: EPA
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TAIPEI – Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s approval rating has dropped to the lowest level since he took office in 2024, underscoring the hit he has taken from a range of political setbacks.
Just 28 per cent of respondents in a poll released by media outlet TVBS on Aug 11 said they were satisfied with Mr Lai’s performance, down from 32 per cent in the previous survey in May.
The results follow a landslide defeat in an unprecedented recall effort backed by Mr Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party that aimed to remove more than one-third of opposition lawmakers from office.
Some analysts have interpreted the outcome as a sign that voters are weary of Mr Lai’s anti-China rhetoric, and instead want the focus to be on economic and livelihood issues.
Also, opposition parties and some industries have criticised Mr Lai’s administration for allowing President Donald Trump to impose a 20 per cent duty on Taiwan’s exports to the US
Officials in Taipei say they are working with Washington to cut the rate.
The TVBS survey found that 52 per cent of respondents were dissatisfied with Mr Lai’s handling of the US tariffs.
That poll, involving 1,044 respondents from Aug 1 to 8, had a margin of error of three percentage points in either direction.
Another closely watched survey in Taiwan showed Mr Lai’s approval rating at the lowest since his inauguration in May 2024.
The Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation found that 33.3 per cent of respondents approved of Mr Lai’s governance, while 54.4 per cent disapproved.
The poll of 1,079 respondents was conducted from Aug 4 to 6 and had a margin of error of 2.98 percentage points. BLOOMBERG
