A top candidate for president in Taiwan says he still strongly dislikes the party he’s teaming up with, comments that suggest the partnership reshaping the race may be a rocky one.
“I’m in a bad mood,” Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party said at a campaign event Wednesday. “I hate the Kuomintang but I hate the Democratic Progressive Party even more.”
Ko said in a TV interview later that concern about the risk of conflict with China convinced him to make the agreement, adding that “war is not impossible in Taiwan.” The agreement surprised his aides, he said.
The blunt remarks came just hours after he had agreed to cooperate with the Kuomintang in a bid to defeat the ruling party, which is leading polls.
See: Taiwan Opposition Agrees to Joint Bid, Reshaping Election
With Taiwan at the forefront of fraught ties between Beijing and Washington, the election of a more China-friendly government in Taipei could remove a potential flashpoint between the world’s two economic superpowers.
Taiwan came up in talks between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the US on Wednesday, with US officials saying they believe Xi indicated he wasn’t readying plans for a mass invasion of Taiwan. Biden asked the Chinese to respect the electoral process in the island’s upcoming presidential vote, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
More: Biden Hails ‘Progress’ With Xi to Fix Frayed US-China Ties
Vice President Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party has led opinion polls for much of the past year but a single opposition bid raises the likelihood of a government in Taipei that’s more willing to accept China’s conditions for direct talks between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Ko, KMT candidate Hou Yu-ih, KMT Chairman Eric Chu and former President Ma Ying-jeou agreed to collate the results of public and internal party polls conducted between Nov. 7 and Friday to determine which candidate has the best chance of winning.
They plan to announce whether Ko or Hou will lead the ticket on Saturday. The two parties also agreed to form a joint government if they win the election in mid-January.
