TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) will host a closed-door meeting with the heads of every branch of government on Monday morning.
The gathering will be hosted at the Presidential Office Building, with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) also in attendance. The Lai administration hopes the meeting will build goodwill and encourage cooperation in governance, reported CNA.
The president said that the new year tea party is intended to foster unity and respect among the government’s five branches. In addition to Lai, who heads the Executive Yuan, leaders of the Legislative Yuan, the Judicial Yuan, the Control Yuan, and the Examination Yuan are all expected to attend.
Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) previously said he would attend and make suggestions to Lai to overcome disagreements on major national issues, per UDN. The current head of the Judicial Yuan is Chief Justice Shieh Ming-yan (謝銘洋), who also heads the Constitutional Court, which is currently embattled by opposition lawmakers.
At the Control Yuan, the acting president is Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞), who took office on Feb. 1, after the previous president, Chen Chu (陳菊), resigned after more than a year of dealing with health issues. Examination Yuan President Chou Hong-hsien (周弘憲) is also expected to attend.
The meeting will not follow any set framework and is intended as an open forum for leaders to share views on important matters, reported CNA. Lai hopes the meeting will help to resolve gridlock and disputes between the Cabinet, the judiciary, and the legislature.
