Taiwan’s Former Top Cop Wants China Talks If Voted President

  • Hou Yu-ih says police experience makes him best Taiwan leader
  • Hou is presidential nominee of Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang

Hou Yu-ih.

Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg
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One thing Hou Yu-ih wants Taiwan’s voters to know about him as they prepare to elect a new president is that he used to be a great cop.

The 66-year-old’s decades-long career, which saw him work his way up from a police officer to become Taiwan’s top law enforcement official, is a core part of the image he’s projecting ahead of the election in January 2024. Hou’s pitch is simple. His time working as a cop in very high-stakes situations makes him the best choice to manage one of the world’s most-dangerous geopolitical hot spots as Taiwan’s next president.