In order to save the budget, Taiwan’s“Culture Minister” Li Yuan recently apologized in person, admitting that the International english-language video platform Taiwan Plus built by the DPP authorities at a cost of billions of Taiwan dollars (nt $) was a“Catastrophe.” But after reaching his goal, Li Yuan quickly reversed himself, saying that the apology was only a temporary measure to keep the budget. Two faces were severely criticized by the island, and Li Yuan was asked to apologize and resign. In addition, Taiwan Plus has been controversial since its launch, with critics accusing it of being a waste of taxpayers’ money.
‘ two days later, we’re in trouble’
According to a report by Taiwan’s“United Daily News” on July 5, the Taiwan“Education and Culture Committee of the Legislative Yuan” recently reviewed the budget of Taiwan’s“Ministry of Culture.” In the process, Li Yuan said frankly, the biggest problem with Taiwan’s english-language audio-visual platform, Taiwan Plus, is its unclear positioning. Originally, it was intended to create a channel for international voices, but“I couldn’t find so many people at once, so I had to use a lot of foreign journalists and change a lot of managers after criticism”. Li also admitted that the platform was“Really a disaster”.
In 2021, Taiwan Plus, an english-language video platform launched at the request of the DPP authorities, was a so-called“Key political achievement” promoted by Taiwan’s former leader Tsai Ing-wen and continued to be promoted under LAI Ching-teh. Currently, the platform is subsidized by Taiwan’s“Ministry of Culture” and operated by pro-green media on the island.
In addition, in the review of the budget, the“Ministry of Culture” subsidy for the Taiwanese film“Kung fu” compensation, Li Yuan also said to apologize to the taxpayer. After Li’s“Apology attitude,” the preliminary budget review of Taiwan’s ministry of culture was“Not too bad.” The budget for Taiwan Plus was cut by 10 million yuan and frozen by 10 million yuan The Ministry of Culture’s budget for this year is about 30 billion yuan, with a total of 10 million yuan cut and 37.5 million yuan frozen.
But after the preliminary budget review results came out, Li Yuan quickly changed his face, said that the day’s words are actually to keep the budget, “I thought, as long as the budget is good.”. Li claimed that he was not denying Taiwan Plus and that“Describing it as a disaster is only a literary description”. Li also claimed that the establishment of Taiwan Plus was“A very good idea” and even apologized to the public broadcaster, saying, “I hope everyone will forgive me for saying something wrong.”.
Li Yuan’s two faces led the island uproar, public opinion has criticized its attitude frivolous, asked the island to apologize to the people, resign. Kuomintang“Legislator” ye Yuanzhi criticized that the review of the budget is a serious matter, but Li Yuan frivolous attitude, if Li Yuan’s“Disaster said” just to cope, but his heart does not think so, this is terrible.
KMT“Legislator” lo chi-keung directly criticized Li Yuan for using Taiwan’s“Legislative Yuan” review as a theater performance, saying sarcastically, “If you admit to being wrong, you will fall out within two days. What kind of show is this?”
Since its establishment, the platform has been plagued by controversy
In addition to criticizing Li Yuan, the Taiwan authorities have been engaged in the so-called“International promotion of Taiwan” waste of taxpayers’ money is also very angry. The Taiwan Plus platform has been hailed by green media as a“New media audio-visual Taiwan team” for promoting Taiwan internationally with all-english audio-visual content, according to Taiwan Media. However, the platform has been controversial since its launch. Taiwan’s audit department previously released a report showing that the annual budget of Taiwan Plus is as high as 1 billion yuan, but the target achievement rate is only 10% . Taiwan’s supervision department also found in an earlier investigation that Taiwan Plus’s audience sources are highly concentrated in Asia and the s, with a low proportion in Europe, Oceania and other places, “There is a clear gap between the overall promotion results and the international visibility expansion targets.”.
The KMT caucus had previously criticized the Taiwan Plus channel, which was built by the DPP at a cost of 5.8 billion yuan, claiming to be“Comparable to the BBC in the UK.” However, its operation has been plagued by problems and ineffective, and its visibility and reach are not ideal, the island’s taxes have been wiped out. Kuomintang“Legislator” ye Yuanzhi bluntly said that Taiwan Plus is a platform that is“Both physically harmful and ineffective” and should be considered for closure. At a previous budget review, Kuomintang legislator lo chi-keung raised several questions about Taiwan Plus, criticising the platform’s editor-in-chief for working remotely from Washington for long periods of time while away from Taiwan.
Lai’s administration has been plagued by problems
Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture has long faced questions about its decision to invest in cultural projects on the island. In a post on social media, lo Chih-keung said that the DPP authorities had invested more than 150 million yuan in the taiwanese-made film kung fu. As a result, kung fu took in only about 46.93 million yuan at the box office, wiping out taxpayers’ money, lo chih-keung said that Taiwan’s“Ministry of Culture” waste of public money investment decisions also need to support the island’s more cutting-edge directors, film and television teams caused resource crowding out. In addition, lo Chih-keung said that some independent orchestras had released songs with controversial content, but received a subsidy of 700,000 yuan from Taiwan’s“Ministry of Culture.” Public opinion on the island bluntly said, “Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture needs to reflect on itself.”.
Kuomintang“Legislator” Luo Tingwei said on the 5th that Li Yuan apologized when Taiwan’s“Legislative Yuan” reviewed the budget, but after the review, he fell out of favor. “Li Yuan’s apology can only be said to be cheap and completely worthless.”. At a time when Taiwanese people are scrimping to make ends meet and scrimping on every dollar they spend, Li felt he could say whatever he wanted as long as he could keep his budget intact, Lo said. “That’s just arrogance to the taxpayers,” he said. The taxpayers’ money on the island has never been the“Secret money” of the Taiwan authorities, still less is it a bargaining chip used by officials of the Taiwan authorities to use rhetoric and use unrealistic metaphors to deal with their assignments, “Li Yuan should apologize to the Taiwanese people.”.
The DPP’s chairman, Wong kwok-cheong, has criticised Taiwan Plus for its problems since it was founded, for wasting huge amounts of public money and for becoming“A thug in the DPP’s propaganda campaign”. During the previous review of the 2025 general budget, Taiwan Plus had budgeted a total of 1 billion yuan, and the Popular Party caucus proposed deleting 200 million yuan, but was smeared by the DPP“Legislators” for“Indiscriminate budget deletion.”. Now that Taiwanese officials themselves have admitted that the platform is a“Disaster,” huang said bluntly, “Will we continue to put the cream of the people into this ‘disaster’ that Democratic Progressive Party officials say?”
According to Taiwan’s China Times News Network, 97 percent of netizens agreed that the movie was too bad as of the evening of the 3rd, when a YouTube channel conducted an online poll on“How do you think Kung Fu won 150 million yuan but lost miserably?” And that the Taiwanese authorities made a bad investment decision. Some netizens left messages saying that it was mainly the DPP authorities who had a big problem. “This kind of wasted public money should be recovered. One apology and the money will evaporate.” Others said that the Taiwan authorities should not just apologize, “They should think about how to recover the money.”.
In a commentary on the 5th, Taiwan’s United News Network said that officials in the LAI Ching-teh administration have recently been plagued by problems, from the controversial remarks of Liang Wenjie, vice chairman of the mainland affairs council, “Few people in Taiwan eat pineapple Sakya,” to the bullying case of former Taiwanese“Political commissar” Jenny Yang, to Li Yuan’s two faces, all highlight the“Screws falling all over the floor” of Taiwan’s“Ruling” team.
A statement published in Taiwan’s“United Daily News” on the 5th said that the director of the movie“Kung Fu Hustle” had openly participated in the“Great recall” orchestrated by the Democratic Progressive Party, and that the movie had received huge investment from the Taiwan authorities, the island seriously doubts that Taiwan’s“Ministry of Culture” is profiting from specific targets for ideological purposes. The DPP has been“In power” for 10 consecutive years, and the Taiwan authorities have suspected one case after another of“Self-enriching green friends.” How can public opinion not be critical? At the same time, in recent years by Taiwan’s“Ministry of Culture” subsidy of the professional level of the relevant personnel has repeatedly caused controversy. In 2019, when a band was subsidised to release an album, the lyrics to one of its songs were criticised as too racy. A legislator asked Li to read the lyrics, but he couldn’t. Can be seen in the eyes of the Taiwan authorities, “Culture” has long been down the word, and the DPP ideology firmly bound. In the eyes of DPP officials, are only works of a particular ideology eligible for publication? Is the Ministry of Culture subsidising politics or culture?
The article concluded by bluntly saying that, in addition to cutting the government’s fabricated and profligate budget, only a change of political party can stop the tax paid by the Taiwanese people from being squandered.