https://bloom.bg/2OzOSMo
Taipei Mayor Says Taiwan Is ‘Just a Product on a Shelf’ for Trump
Taiwan must focus on making itself more valuable to President Donald Trump and
accept its status as a pawn in the great power game between the U.S. and Chin
a, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said.
The outspoken former surgeon and potential presidential contender told Bloombe
rg News that Taiwan shouldn’t overestimate the U.S.’s willingness to defend
the island from an attack by its much bigger neighbor. Ko, 59, said Taiwan nee
ded to boost its worth to America by strengthening shared values, such as demo
cracy and economic transparency.
“Taiwan is just a product on a shelf,” Ko said Wednesday at Taipei City Hall
. “We have to have a very clear understanding of ourselves.”
Such blunt assessments have helped make Ko one of Taiwan’s most popular polit
icians since winning election as the capital city’s mayor as an independent i
n 2014. Should he secure a second term in local elections Nov. 24, he’s consi
dered a strong contender for president, something he repeatedly declined to ru
le out.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he said.
Ko attributed his political success to offering an alternative to the two fact
ions who have long dominated local politics: the Kuomintang, which sees itself
as the rightful ruler of a unified China, and the Democratic Progressive Part
y, which aspires to independence. He’s also shaken up city policies, suspendi
ng work on a 40,000-seat arena intended for last year’s University Games.
“They support me because I am their only hope,” he said. “I am not perfect,
but they put their hope in me because they are desperate.”
Ko faces challenges from both sides during the Nov. 24 election: former lawmak
ers Ting Shou-chung, of the KMT, and Pasuya Yao, of the DPP. A survey by broad
caster TVBS last month found him leading Ting by 5 percentage points and Yao b
y 26 percentage points.
Ko