Popular Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je goes to Washington as Taiwan’s presidential hopefuls mull 2020 run
- Independent politician will have to reassure US officials about his cross-strait intentions to secure American backing, observers say
Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je is expected to go to the United States in mid-March, joining a wave of political hopefuls planning trips to the US in their quest for Washington’s support in the island’s 2020 presidential race.
Ko, an independent whose pro-Beijing views have raised concerns in the US, will visit Washington, New York, Boston and Atlanta on a nine-day trip from March 16, according to his office.
Analysts said the popular politician was expected to brief US officials on his cross-strait policy and how it would affect American interests, an essential step for any presidential aspirant from Taiwan.
At a closely watched cross-strait meeting in December, Ko underlined his policy of engagement with mainland China, saying that “relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are like those of a family”.
That direction goes against the tide in Washington, which has shifted from a policy of engagement towards Beijing to one of confrontation under US President Donald Trump’s “America first” approach.
Fan Shih-ping, a professor at the Graduate Institute of Political Science at National Taiwan Normal University, said any Taiwanese presidential candidate would have to reassure Washington about their intentions.