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3 clusters · 8 sources · 8 days · First seen · Last updated

Taiwan mooncake procurement political dispute

Overview

The political dispute in Taiwan regarding the procurement of Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes from sheltered workshops has intensified. The controversy centers on the freezing of the Presidential Office’s state affairs expenses in the 2026 central budget, which reportedly prevented the office from fulfilling customary orders for approximately 15,000 mooncake boxes from 37 workshops employing people with disabilities.

Demands for transparency have increased, with KMT Taipei City Councilor Qin Huizhu questioning the Presidential Office regarding original order quantities, unit prices, and the distribution of the boxes. Qin noted that some workshops claimed they received only inquiries rather than formal orders, raising questions about the office’s credibility.

In response to the shortfall, various political figures have taken individual action. While Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an announced a 300,000 TWD donation, Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wen announced she personally spent 4.02 million TWD to purchase 9,780 boxes from 20 workshops. Cheng stated she is acting in a personal capacity to support the workshops and avoid using limited KMT party funds, while criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for using vulnerable groups as ‘political leverage’ during budget disputes.

Entities

Presidential Office · Kuomintang · Democratic Progressive Party · Taichung City Government · Taipei City Government

Timeline

  1. 10 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Cheng Li-wen personally purchases 9,780 mooncake boxes from sheltered workshops

    KMT Chairperson Cheng Li-wen personally spent 4.02 million TWD to buy nearly 10,000 mooncakes from sheltered workshops after the Presidential Office canceled its orders.

  2. 12 days ago

    [POLITICS] 6 sources
    Taiwan Presidential Office budget cuts halt mooncake orders for sheltered workshops

    The freezing of Taiwan's Presidential Office state affairs budget has halted customary mooncake orders for 37 sheltered workshops, sparking political debate and calls for transparency.

  3. 17 days ago

    [POLITICS] 5 sources
    Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen faces criticism over mooncake procurement dispute

    Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen is facing criticism for her characterization of the Presidential Office ‘abandoning’ mooncake orders from sheltered workshops following legislative budget cuts.

Sources

ctinews.com · folgefonnsenteret.no · heartbeats.jp · hlttt.com · saintmichaels.org.uk · tamers2021.hateblo.jp · taronews.tw · theinitium.com

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history