A former Taiwanese president’s claim that China could be trusted on cross-strait issues, days before the island’s critical election, could cost his party votes in the tight three-way race, analysts said.
Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang or KMT party told German outlet Deutsche Welle that Taiwan could “never win a war with the mainland,” and also voiced openness to unifying Taiwan with mainland China, a view supported by only a tiny proportion of Taiwan’s population.
Ahead of Saturday’s vote, China’s military said it would “crush” any efforts to promote independence in Taiwan and that it was on standby to take any “necessary measures.”
