The billionaire founder of Apple’s largest supplier Foxconn, Terry Gou, is throwing his hat in the race for Taiwan’s next president in 2024. “Give me four years and I promise 50 years of peace in the Taiwan Strait and will lay a deep foundation for mutual trust in the Taiwan Strait,” he said at a campaign-style rally on Monday.
Gou resigned as Foxconn boss in 2019 and ran for president, but failed to run for Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang KMT, which traditionally advocates close ties with China. He ran for the second time for the KMT in the presidential election in January this year, but the party chose Hou Yu-ih, the mayor of New Taipei City.
Gou criticizes domestic politics ‘full of mistakes’
Taiwan Vice President William Lai, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is ahead of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je of the small Taiwan People’s Party and Hou in recent polls. “The DPP rule of the past seven years has put Taiwan in danger of war internationally. Domestically, their policies are full of mistakes,” said Gou, adding that “the era of corporate rule” has begun.
Taiwan cannot become Ukraine
“Taiwan cannot become Ukraine, and I will not allow Taiwan to become the next Ukraine.” Gou stressed that he would run as an independent candidate. The campaign comes amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory. According to the election ordinance, Gou must collect nearly 300,000 signatures before November 2 to qualify as an independent candidate. The result is expected on November 14.
Source: Krone
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