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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Elections & Politics

Taiwan Esports Law Debate Stalls in Parliament Amidst Heated Arguments

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Under investigation
  • A legislative session to review the "Electronic Sports Development Basic Law" in Taiwan devolved into a procedural dispute.
  • Lawmakers from opposing parties engaged in a heated argument, delaying the meeting for an hour.
  • The Minister of Sport, Lee Yang, appeared visibly awkward as he was unable to present his report.

A legislative session in Taiwan aimed at reviewing the draft "Electronic Sports Development Basic Law" was thrown into disarray on Thursday by a procedural dispute between ruling and opposition party lawmakers. The argument, which centered on whether to establish a dedicated law for esports, lasted for an hour and led to a stalemate, preventing the Minister of Sport, Lee Yang, from delivering his report.

From beginning to end, wasn't Lo Ting-wei bullying the Ministry of Sport? What are you performing now? It's disgusting.

— Wu Pei-yiCriticizing the legislative convener's handling of the session and perceived pressure on the Ministry of Sport.

The conflict arose when Chen Pei-yu, a legislator from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), questioned the procedure, suggesting the minister should speak first. This was countered by the convener, Lo Ting-wei of the Kuomintang (KMT), who insisted on following the meeting's agenda. The exchange became heated, leaving Minister Lee Yang standing awkwardly for nearly 10 minutes before he was allowed to sit down.

Later, legislator Wu Pei-yi strongly criticized the situation, accusing the KMT convener of bullying the Ministry of Sport. She stated that the ministry had expressed reservations about a dedicated law, preferring to support the industry through existing frameworks. "From beginning to end, wasn't Lo Ting-wei bullying the Ministry of Sport? What are you performing now? It's disgusting," she remarked.

I think at that time, whether it was Lo Ting-wei or other committee members, they might have had opinions on whether to speak on stage or sit down. I think before the committee members' opinions were clear, I chose to stand and wait for their decision.

— Lee YangExplaining his decision to stand during the legislative session due to procedural disagreements.

Minister Lee Yang reiterated the Ministry of Sport's stance against a standalone basic law for esports. He explained that while the ministry supports the development of esports and its industry, creating a separate law for a single sport is impractical. He cited other sports like baseball and basketball, suggesting it would be impossible to create individual laws for each. The ministry plans to allocate NT$30 million next year to support the esports industry through existing regulations.

I must emphasize again that the Ministry of Sport does not support a separate law.

— Lee YangReiterating the Ministry of Sport's opposition to a dedicated esports law.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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