Taiwan's Tsai faces hot summer votes over pork and nuclear power

Four referendums give China-friendly Kuomintang chance to claw back public support

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen faces referenda this summer on issues from the construction of a nuclear plant to imports of U.S. pork. (Source photos by AP, EPA/Jiji and Getty Images)

ERIN HALE, Contributing writer

June 15, 2021 13:58 JST

TAIPEI -- As Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen struggles with the island's COVID-19 outbreak, her government faces some tough battles with the opposition on four referendum votes this summer.

Taiwanese on Aug. 28 will vote whether to bring back a ban on U.S. pork imports, resume the building of a nuclear plant, construct a natural gas terminal and move future referendums so that they coincide with elections -- all supported by the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang, or KMT. Tsai's ruling Democratic People's Party takes the opposite side of each issue.