TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — United Microelectronics Corporation founder Robert Tsao (曹興誠) on Sunday urged President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) to emphasize resistance against the CCP in his public addresses promoting national unity.
Tsao’s remarks, posted on Facebook, came in response to criticism of Lai’s recent speeches and the intensifying political atmosphere surrounding the recall campaign targeting opposition legislators, per Storm Media. While Tsao rejected claims that Lai's comments are to blame for declining public support in recent polls, he acknowledged that the president may have “muddied the water.”
Tsao argued that the recall campaign represents a resistance to pro-China forces, accusing the KMT and TPP of softening Taiwan’s stance in advance of a potential Chinese invasion. He dismissed opposition claims that the recall effort is a DPP attempt to silence critics, calling such accusations a deflection from what he described as the “dictatorship of the legislature.”
One source of controversy was Lai’s use of a sword-forging metaphor, in which he described elections and recalls as a way to forge a national consensus, per CNA. Taking issue with Lai's speech concerning “striking out impurities,” opposition leaders interpreted the metaphor as signaling a willingness to purge dissent, per CNA.
In response, Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) cautioned against overinterpreting the metaphor, urging political leaders to stay focused on broader issues, per CNA.
Despite Tsao’s defense of Lai, UP Media noted that Lai’s remarks may have galvanized anti-DPP sentiment. Betting odds for the number of KMT seats likely to be recalled have dropped from 10 to eight since early June.
Recall organizers reportedly fear the campaign could escalate into a direct confrontation between the DPP and KMT, potentially rallying pro-KMT voters in strongholds like Taipei and New Taipei. Up Media suggested that this may explain why Tsao framed the recalls as a resistance against the CCP, rather than a partisan battle.
Separately, the UDN reported that senior DPP figures have compared Tsao’s growing political role to that of the late SET TV chair Lin Kun-hai (林崑海), with the ongoing recall campaigns in mind. Lin transitioned from business into politics and founded the Taiwan Forward faction within the DPP in 2016.
However, former DPP Legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄) challenged the observation, arguing that while disputes over candidate selection between recall groups and the DPP are possible, the party is currently focused on recalling KMT lawmakers, per NOWNews.
