Taiwan needs to find a balance in its relationships with China and the US instead of depending too much on either one, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) told the Central News Agency in an interview on Tuesday.
Asked to elaborate on his China and US policies and by extension those of his Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), Ko said he wants to maintain friendly ties with Washington and Beijing rather than excessively relying on either.
He said that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) relied too much on the US, while Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, was too China-friendly.
Photo: Chou Hsiang-yun, Taipei Times
The US will continue to protect Taiwan no matter which party wins the presidential election in January, Ko said, adding that more cordial relations with China would give Taiwan more space in the international arena.
Ko said that “to keep Taiwan alive,” he does not criticize the Chinese Communist Party too much.
Tsai’s harsh remarks about China are made “merely to garner more votes” in the elections, he said, adding that under Tsai, the government and Beijing have failed to establish an effective communication channel, resulting in an impasse in cross-strait relations since May 2016.
A more neutral stance toward China does not mean accepting Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for Taiwan, Ko said.
Few in Taiwan are willing to accept that formula, other than a small number of pro-unification activists who represent about 3 percent of the population, especially given the response to the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, he said.
Ko ran as an independent in the 2014 Taipei mayoral election, which he won with the backing of the DPP.
However, he has gradually drifted away from the party, which has criticized him for his China-friendly remarks, most recently in July, when Ko said that “the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family.”
Ko last month said that he would not contest next year’s presidential election after he established the TPP and nominated legislative candidates.
Ko described the TPP as a third option to the “pro-unification” KMT and “pro-independence” DPP.
The governing party has “delusions of persecution,” with some of its members believing he still plans to contest the presidency in January, he said.
The TPP has nominated eight legislative candidates for the Jan. 11 elections, which are to be held alongside the presidential election.
Regulations stipulate that a new political party has to nominate at least 10 legislative candidates before it can submit a list of 34 at-large candidates.
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