Taipei’s mayor will visit the US in 2019, fuelling speculation that he will challenge Tsai Ing-wen for the presidency in 2020. But the trip has also raised questions about Ko Wen-je’s allegedly pro-China views.
While Mr Ko has not declared his intention to run in the January 2020 presidential elections, the reception he receives in the US could have a big bearing on a presidential run, experts said.
“For any Taiwanese presidential candidate, backing from the US government is consequential,” said Jonathan Sullivan, a Taiwan politics expert at the University of Nottingham. He added that “[the US] view of presidential contenders sends a signal to voters about the perceived ability to manage Taiwan’s two most important bilateral relationships, with China and with the US”.