Foxconn founder, billionaire Terry Gou, on Monday announced his official candidacy for Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election as an independent, vowing to bring peace with China.
“I have decided to participate in the presidential election of 2024 and present my candidacy,” he said at a press conference.
The presidential election in Taiwan will take place in January 2024. Current President Tsai Ing-wen is completing her second and final term.
“I implore the people of Taiwan to give me four years,” added this businessman who has long displayed his presidential ambitions. However, he failed to secure the nomination of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s main opposition party. The KMT preferred a former police chief, Hou Yu-ih, now mayor of New Taipei City.
According to analysts, Gou’s chances of success are slim against the other opposition candidates who will face Vice President Lai Ching-te, a member of the current president’s Democratic Progressive Party and who is currently leading the polls.
Mr. Gou presented himself to the press as an official who could promote peace between Taiwan and China.
Relations between Beijing and Taipei soured in 2016 with the coming to power of President Tsai Ing-wen, who refuses any Chinese claim to Taiwan, a refuge for Chinese nationalists at the end of the civil war in China, won by the Communists in 1949.
China considers Taiwan as one of its provinces which it wants to return to its fold, if necessary by force, even if it says it favors a peaceful path.
“I promise to bring peace to the Taiwan Strait for the next fifty years and build the deepest foundations of mutual trust between the two sides,” Gou also added at his press conference.
Currently Vice President Mr. Lai is the favorite in the polls followed by Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party and KMT Party leader Hou Yu-ih.
The KMT has also expressed “deep regret” about Mr. Gou’s candidacy and called on him to support Hou. According to one of the KMT leaders, the arrival of Gou as an independent in the race for the presidency will create chaos in the opposition.
“It seems very unlikely for any opposition candidate to win the election,” said Sung Wen-ti, a teacher specializing in Taiwan.
– Taiwan, next Ukraine?-
“In a four-candidate scenario, Gou’s arrival can urgently prompt the opposition to regroup and work together,” Sung added.
The billionaire promised he would “never let Taiwan become the next Ukraine” in reference to its invasion by Russia.
He also indicated that the opposition camp should “integrate and find candidates who meet the demands of the population”.
Asked about his ties to the Chinese government given Foxconn’s massive investments on the mainland, Mr. Gou recalled that he had not been involved in the management of the company for four years.
“I have never been under the control (of the Chinese Communist Party)”, he clarified before assuring: “I will not be threatened”.
However, the boss of Foxconn, who presents himself as independent, will still have to collect 290,000 signatures to be eligible. Mr. Gou has organized several election campaign-style events in Taiwan in recent months.
Foxconn – also known by its official name Hon Hai Precision Industry – is the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer and assembles devices for many companies, including Apple.
08/28/2023 14:07:08 – Taipei (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
