Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je is considered by many as a hopeful candidate for the 2020 Presidential Election, and his every move draws a lot of attention. On the evening of January 16, Ko sat down with local internet celebrity Chen Chih-han and held a stream their conversation live on the internet. When asked about 2020, Ko said he has little intention of running for President. However, Ko said will consider the possibility of forming his own political party. During an interview on January 17, Ko further commented on the subject saying that, if he forms a party, it would be different from the current ones.


(Are you running for president in 2020 after forming your own party?) Nothing is happening.

Despite the constant questions, Ko did not directly address the possibility of forming his own political party or running for president in 2020. On the other hand, in the recent legislative by-election in Taipei, Ko sent Chen Sih-yu, a representative of the independent candidates and former head of Taipei City's Department of Information and Tourism. Many consider Ko's decision as a move to gain a closer position to the central government. Many wonder if Ko will form his own political party.

Honestly, other than their differences in political ideologies, I can't really differentiate between the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the opposition Kuomintang (KMT). Therefore we don't want to form another party like that. I'm still thinking about the subject.

Asked whether the impetus of him considering his own party has to do with his narrow win in the recent mayoral election, Ko said that he is still thinking about how a political party should operate in the age of rising internet influence. But he said he doesn't have an answer.

How should a political party operate in a day and age where the internet becomes increasingly important? This is something that I've been thinking about. But I don't have an answer yet. Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Nobody knows how things will work, we just need to try it and see how it turns out. If (our strategy) is successful, we'll carry on. If it fails, we just wrap it up.

New Premier Su Tseng-chang has been actively promoting his policies on the internet. Ko has been subject to comparison with Su due to his frequent appearance on the web. Ko said that he has no preset position and he prefers to let the market decide the outcome.