Taiwanese presidential contender Ko Wen-je said Thursday he would advocate a mix of deterrence and dialogue when dealing with China not only to deter possible aggression but also to foster peace between the two sides, which, according to the 63-year-old, are “one family.”

Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, Ko, who is running in January’s presidential election for the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), said that while it is important for Taiwan to have well-established national defense capabilities, “seeking dialogue” with Beijing is crucial to make any improvement in cross-Strait relations.

“We need to build trust between the two sides, and we need to be creative in trying to solve the problem,” he said.

“If you want to make any advancement or change in a relationship it is crucial to have a mutual conversation,” Ko stressed, vowing to try and convince Beijing to have talks based on mutual understanding, respect and cooperation, if he is elected president.

“Taiwan needs to change its approach toward dealing with China,” he added.

Ko, who founded the party in 2019 as the democratic island’s third major political force after the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DDP) and the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), has seen his popularity rise in opinion polls since formally announcing his candidacy last month.

This has led many to view the physician-turned-Taipei mayor as a potential kingmaker or perhaps even a strong contender in an election that is bound to have consequences not only for Taiwan’s 23 million people but also the entire region as Beijing and Washington vie for influence on the democratic island.

Ko, who has sought to position his party on a middle ground between the Democratic Progressive Party and the Kuomintang on Taiwan’s China policy, reiterated his support for a coalition government “so that all parties can contribute their strengths to uniting Taiwan.”

The Taiwan People's Party chairman has repeatedly criticized the way the two other parties have ruled the island, arguing that they seem to exclude each other from participating in the political arena as much as they can, thus preventing the island from forging a mutual consensus on how to move forward.

He also criticized the DPP, which is fielding current Vice President Willian Lai in the presidential race, for being "pro-war" as a result of its strong anti-China stance, while slamming the KMT, which is pitching New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi, for being "too submissive" to Beijing.

Asked about how his approach to dialogue with China would differ from that of the KMT and DPP, Ko said he would be more pragmatic, creative and would engage in “open and high integrity communication” with the Chinese.

“These parties are trapped by their own historical baggage,” he said, arguing that the DPP has completely lost trust with the Chinese Communist government while the KMT lost the trust of the Taiwanese people by being too deferential to Beijing.

Ko indicated that while China would insist on preconditions for dialogue, these would unlikely be the same for a TTP government, compared to those Beijing set for the current DDP government, which has refused to acknowledge the “1992 consensus,” a term that refers to a tacit understanding that both sides recognize there is only "one China," with each having its own interpretation of what China means.

That said, Ko admitted it would “take time” to rebuild the trust lost in Sino-Taiwan relations in recent years.

“It is always better to have the two sides as one family rather than building hatred, or treating ourselves as enemies. It is always better to have a mutual conversation rather than shutting down the door,” he said.

Ko, who in April embarked on a three-week tour of the United States to "introduce the TPP and myself to American society,” has said the democratic island’s “status quo” of de-facto, but unofficial, independence is currently the only realistic option for Taiwan.

The former Taipei mayor also said Japan and Taiwan enjoy close economic collaboration, including in the semiconductor industry, expressing hopes that the two sides can deepen cooperation and build a more resilient industrial supply chain that would “make a stable contribution to the world's technology and economic development.”

He also said he would seek to re-establish an unofficial high-level information-sharing system between Tokyo, Washington and Taipei, including on defense-related issues, similar to the one launched by Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui during the Taiwan Strait crisis in 1996.

Staff writer Alyssa Chen contributed to this report.