China-friendly Taiwan mayor faces president in election clash

A PRO-CHINA city mayor has won the opposition party nomination to challenge Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen in the 2020 election.

Han Kuo-yu, 62, beat four other contenders including Terry Gou, 68, the billionaire founder of technology company Foxconn, which manufactures the iphone.

The results were announced after a week-long nationwide telephone poll which included both members of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party and non-members.

The self-ruled island is set to hold its presidential election in January amid heightened tension with China, which considers Taiwan a wayward province and has never ruled out the use of force to bring it back into the fold.

Mr Han gained island-wide popularity after winning a mayoral election in November in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, formerly a stronghold of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

In a straight race between Mr Han and Ms Tsai, 62, voters would in broad terms face a choice over whether Taiwan should align itself more closely with China or the US.

Critics of Mr Han accuse him of being too close to Beijing, while his supporters believe he can foster better economic ties with China without ceding political control.

Ms Tsai, however, who came to power in 2016, has strong relations with Washington, where the Trump administration sees her as a trusted pair of hands.

The KMT’S central leadership is expected to officially confirm the nomination later this week, and Mr Gou has not ruled out an independent run.