TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan can be the link between China and the world, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chair and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said during a discussion with scholars at the Hoover Institution on Tuesday (Oct. 3).

Taiwan understands China better than the rest of the world, and Taiwan also understands the world better than China does, Kharis Templeman, a Hoover Institution research fellow, cited Ko as saying. Therefore, it can play a role as a bridge between China and the world, Ko proposed.

Templeman said he questioned whether China still sees Taiwan as a partner in cooperation, per CNA.

He also pointed out the U.S. is familiar with both the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Kuomintang (KMT) as political parties but not with the TPP, which has never won the presidency. This presents a challenge for Ko, he said.

The research fellow said that if Ko does not cooperate with the KMT, the possibility of defeating the DPP would be small. However, if he does work with the KMT, some of his supporters may defect, posing strategic challenges in achieving his goals, he said.

Templeman said this was not his first encounter with Ko. He described him as an atypical politician who is more of a technical expert when deliberating policy issues.

Ko is on his second U.S. trip, where he is taking a deeper look into America’s tech industry and learning how to facilitate the next transformation of Taiwan's own industries. He previously traveled to the U.S. in April for 21 days, where he met U.S. business representatives, visited universities and companies, and gave a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.