KMT presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu says 2020 election will be life-or-death battle for Taiwan
- Beijing-friendly populist mayor is officially nominated by the opposition Kuomintang to challenge Tsai Ing-wen in January
- He says poll will be a choice between peace or crisis across the strait
Taiwan’s upcoming election will be a life-or-death battle for the self-governing island and a choice between cross-strait peace or crisis, the opposition Kuomintang’s presidential candidate said.
Cross-strait relations, which have deteriorated since Tsai took power in 2016, are expected to figure prominently in the campaigning, according to analysts on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Weeks of mass protests in Hong Kong over a controversial extradition bill – which have put Beijing’s promise of “one country, two systems” in the international spotlight and created a ripple effect in Taiwan – are also likely to be a key issue.
“This won’t be a polite gentleman’s race. The election is about the life and death of the Republic of China (ROC) and Taiwan’s next generation,” Han said, using the island’s official name in an emotional speech after his formal nomination during the KMT congress.
“The people will make a sacred choice for the fate of our country in the next four years. The election is a choice between a peaceful Taiwan Strait or a Taiwan Strait filled with crisis,” he said.
