Taiwan: Billionaire Foxconn Founder Terry Gou Announces Presidential Ambition
Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, has announced on Monday a bid to be Taiwan’s president in January elections.
Gou said his objective is to unite the opposition and ensure the island did not become “the next Ukraine”.
Gou is the fourth person to throw his hat in the ring, but his poll numbers before his announcement put him well behind the front-runner, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) William Lai, who is currently Vice president.
Gou, 72, stepped down as Foxconn Chief in 2019 and made his first presidential bid that year, but dropped out after he failed to win the nomination for Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang KMT.
The KMT traditionally favours close ties with China, whose Government claims Taiwan as its own territory.
Earlier this year, Gou made a second bid to be the KMT’s candidate for the presidential election, but the party chose instead Hou Yu-ih, the Mayor of New Taipei City.
Gou has spent the past few weeks touring Taiwan and holding campaign-like rallies, fuelling speculation he was planning to run as an independent.
Speaking at a Taipei conference centre under two large Taiwanese flags, Gou lambasted the DPP.
“Under the rule of the DPP in the past seven years or so, internationally, they have led Taiwan towards the danger of war. Domestically, their policies are filled with mistakes,” Gou said, adding “the era of entrepreneur’s rule” has begun.
“Give me four years and I promise that I will bring 50 years of peace to the Taiwan Strait and build the deepest foundation for the mutual trust across the strait,” he said in a plea to Taiwan voters.
“Taiwan must not become Ukraine and I will not let Taiwan become the next Ukraine.”
The DPP champions Taiwan’s separate identity from China, but the Government it leads has repeatedly offered talks with China that have been rebuffed.
The run up to the election is taking place at a time of increased tensions between Taipei and Beijing, as China stages regular military exercises near the island to assert its sovereignty claims.
When asked about the issue of conflict of interest with Gou being a major shareholder of Foxconn, which has massive investment in China, Gou said he’s willing to “sacrifice” his personal assets in China in the event of a Chinese attack.
“I have never been under the control of the People’s Republic of China,” he said. “I don’t follow their instructions.”
REUTERS
