Foxconn founder Gou to run for Taiwan presidency again
Terry Gou announces that he will be a candidate for the Kuomintang for the second time.
Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, has announced that he will seek the presidential nomination for Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), for a second time.
Gou stepped down as Foxconn chief in 2019 and made a presidential bid that year, but dropped out after losing the race for the nomination to the KMT, which traditionally favors closer ties with China.
Speaking to reporters at a hotel next to Taiwan’s main international airport, Taoyuan, Gou said the only way to avoid a war with China was to ease tensions between China and the US and help the ruling Democratic Progressives Party of Taiwan. (DPP) out of the office.
“We must tell young people frankly that it is dangerous to vote for the DPP, which ‘glorifies Taiwan’s independence and hates and opposes China,'” Gou said, referring to a phrase that Taiwan’s opposition parties usually use to describe the politics of the describe DPP.
“Peace cannot be taken for granted and people must make the right choice.”
The KMT is still in the process of choosing its candidate for the next presidential election, scheduled for January 2024, with Hou Yu-ih, mayor of New Taipei City, widely regarded as the current front-runner.
The run-up to the election comes at a time of rising tensions between Taipei and Beijing as China regularly hosts military exercises near the island to assert its sovereignty claims.
The KMT denies being pro-Beijing, though it favors maintaining good relations with China. The DPP defends the separate identities of Taiwan and China, but the government it leads has repeatedly offered talks with China that have been rejected.
Gou said he had to stand up and “solve the crisis”, which traditional politicians were unable to do, adding that he was sorry to have left the KMT four years ago.
“If I am nominated by the KMT, I will do my best to unite all non-green camps and win the 2024 presidential election,” he added, referring to the DPP’s party colors.
But if polls showed that the current KMT front-runner Hou was leading Hou Gou and chose him instead, Gou said he would fully support Hou.
“We can’t let the DPP rule, we can’t let our children live in a forest of guns and bullets.”
The KMT said it would release a statement later. There was no immediate comment from the DPP on his announcement.
The DPP has already selected party chairman William Lai, who is also Vice President of Taiwan, as its 2024 candidate.