He has called protesting pensioners “bastards”, compared Taiwan and China to quarrelling lovers and said it is a “miracle” he has survived three years in office. But the blunt style of Ko Wen-je, the mayor of Taipei, has made him Taiwan’s most popular politician — and a possible presidential contender.

“Without me, the mass media cannot work in the night, because every station is discussing Ko Wen-je,” he tells the Financial Times at City Hall in the Taiwanese capital, dressed in his standard outfit of trainers, black trousers and short-sleeve shirt with a pen in the pocket. “Life is a bitter sea so why must you torture other people? If possible, try to make everyone happy.”

Combining the headline-grabbing antics of Boris Johnson with the avuncular approach of Bernie Sanders, the 58-year-old former top surgeon has shaken up Taiwan’s politics since being elected as an independent in 2014 with the backing of young people frustrated with the two dominant parties.