TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan's main opposition party has picked a populist, pro-China mayor as its candidate for the 2020 presidential race against an incumbent who often bashes Beijing.

The Nationalist Party chose Han Kuo-yu (Hahn GWOH'-yoo) on Monday to run against incumbent Tsai Ing-wen in the January election. He defeated former Foxconn Technology chairman and billionaire Terry Gou in a party primary.

Han was elected mayor of Kaohsiung in November on pledges to improve the local economy. In March he signed deals with four Chinese cities to sell 5.2 billion New Taiwan dollars ($165 million) worth of Taiwanese agricultural products.

China and Taiwan separated during civil war in 1949, but Beijing still claims sovereignty over the island and occasionally threatens to use force to take it if necessary.