Taiwan: Foxconn’s founder, Mr. Terry Gou, will run for president of Taiwan as an independent candidate. Foxconn is the world’s largest consumer electronics company, based in Taiwan. The election is scheduled for January 2024.
Mr. Gou, the wealthiest man in Taiwan, has wanted to be in politics for a while. In the last election, he left Foxconn in 2019 to try and become the candidate for the main opposition party, Kuomintang (KMT). Mr. Gou didn’t succeed in that try.
This year, the KMT, which is viewed as having a favorable stance towards Beijing, picked Mr. Hou Yu-ih, the mayor of New Taipei City, as their candidate.
The billionaire became wealthy by transforming Foxconn into the world’s top contract manufacturer of electronics, including Apple’s iPhones.
“I have decided to join the 2024 presidential race,” Mr. Gou said at a press conference.
“I implore the people of Taiwan to give me four years. I promise that I will bring peace to the Taiwan Strait for the next fifty years and lay the deepest foundation of mutual trust between the two sides,” the billionaire stated.
China considers Taiwan its territory, to be taken one day by force if necessary, as per the statement.
President Ms. Tsai Ing-wen, in her last term, remains firm in rejecting this stance. Beijing has increased its diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan since its inauguration in 2016.
The billionaire must gather 290,000 signatures by 2 November 2023, to be eligible as an independent candidate. Mr. Gou has been organizing campaign-style events across Taiwan in recent months.
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