Before Taiwan's Legislative Yuan passed the general budget on its third reading today, internal friction within the Blue camp played out in public — bad news for KMT unity.

• During negotiations, KMT caucus convener Fu Kun-chi, upon seeing Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu, first called out "loyally serving Han," then gave a slight bow and said "Hello, President Han," to which Han shot back on the spot, "Then you're the Secretary-General of the United Nations."
• This was the first time the two had met since this past Tuesday. Prior to that, because Fu had repeatedly been absent and had not authorized the signing of negotiation conclusions, Han Kuo-yu had, in a rare outburst, berated Fu as "the Empress Dowager Cixi ruling from behind the curtain" and told him to resign as convener.
• The DPP caucus watched the spectacle with amusement, with Tsai Chi-chang describing the scene as "a bit sour" and bluntly calling it the KMT's own domestic affair; the KMT's Lin Pei-hsiang smoothed things over, saying it was just old friends joking.
• Outside observers read the real tension as stemming from Fu Kun-chi setting his sights on the post of Legislative Yuan Deputy Speaker, which Han Kuo-yu is unwilling to give him. The grudge dates back to 2024, and the clash is also seen as bearing on Han Kuo-yu's 2028 presidential positioning.
• The central government's general budget bill for this year still pushed for a third reading today, with Fu Kun-chi stating that the opposition parties' proposals had been reduced to 75 items and calling on Lai Ching-te to cherish Han Kuo-yu's goodwill.

Outlook: The budget bill is likely to pass with Blue-White cooperation, but the contest over the Deputy Speaker post between Han and Fu, along with the jockeying for 2028, will be hard to resolve in the short term.