Taiwan's premier is standing firm on his refusal to countersign bills passed by the opposition-led legislature, deepening a fight with the legislature's speaker that now spills into next year's national budget.

• Cho Jung-tai says the cabinet cannot sit on its hands when a law wrecks the country's finances, endangers security, or breaks constitutional order.
• He argues Taiwan's system is neither presidential nor parliamentary, so the president has no veto — leaving the premier's signature as the only check.
• Without that check, he warns, the country risks rule by an opposition that controls the legislature but not the government.
• He also insists lawmakers should stop writing spending into laws and forcing the cabinet to fund it, calling that an impossible design.
• Despite the hard line, he plans to visit Han Kuo-yu once the budget reaches the legislature, urging both sides to work together with mutual respect.

Outlook: The budget review is shaping up as the next flashpoint, with the countersignature fight likely to shadow every bill the legislature sends over.