Foxconn Founder Terry Gou to Run for Taiwan Presidency Again

Wed Apr 05 2023
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TAIPEI: Terry Gou, founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, announced on Wednesday to seek the presidential nomination for Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), for a second time.

In 2019, Gou stepped down as Foxconn’s boss to make a bid for the presidency for the KMT – which, although denies being pro-China, but traditionally favours closer ties with Beijing – but failed to be nominated.

Gou’s announcement comes as Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen is on a trip to the US.

“We must honestly tell young people that it is dangerous to vote for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which ‘exalts Taiwan independence and hates and opposes China’,” Gou told reporters on Wednesday.

He added the only way to avoid war with China was to soften tensions between Washington and Beijing and remove DPP’s government.

President Tsai will meet US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California on Wednesday.

The highly symbolic meeting has already prompted outrage from China which has warned of “serious repercussions” if it happens.

China considers Taiwan, a self-governing island of 23 million, as a breakaway province to be taken by force if necessary. Meanwhile, US is Taiwan’s most important ally and arms supplier.

The KMT is still in the process of choosing its candidate for the 2024 presidential election, with Hou Yu-ih, mayor of New Taipei City, widely considered the current frontrunner.

Gou, a multi-billionaire, made his fortune from manufacturing electronic devices for other companies.

Major Apple Supplier

Known for producing many of Apple’s iPhone models, Foxconn is one of the first Taiwanese companies that invested in factories on the Chinese mainland.

If successful in his presidential bid, Gou is expected to take a more China-friendly approach than the current Taiwanese administration.

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