Taiwan¡¯s main opposition party had pinned its hopes of winning the recent presidential election on convincing voters it would serve their interests, not China¡¯s. But the Kuomintang¡¯s (KMT) central pitch was undercut by one of its own just days before polls opened.
¡°You can never fight a war with the mainland. You can never win,¡± former President Ma Ying-jeou told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. The comments by Ma, who remains a senior figure within the KMT, indicated Taiwan is too powerless to stand up to Beijing, undermining the party¡¯s messaging.
Hou Yu-ih, the KMT¡¯s candidate, immediately distanced himself from Ma, saying their views ¡°differed.¡± The former president was also reportedly not invited to the party¡¯s election night rally.
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