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The billionaire founder of Apple supplier Foxconn has said he will run as an independent candidate in January’s presidential election in Taiwan, throwing a race of crucial geopolitical significance into uncertainty.
Terry Gou told supporters and journalists on Monday that his candidacy was meant to force an alliance of opposition candidates against frontrunner Lai Ching-te from the ruling Democratic Progressive party.
“We must end the rule of the corrupt and incapable DPP,” Gou said. “The most important question is whether the opposition really wants to win. If we do, we must unite. That is the purpose and goal of my bid.”
Like the two other opposition candidates, Gou puts at least part of the blame for rising tension with China on the DPP and advocates talks with Beijing to preserve peace.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and reserves the option to take it with force if it resists unification — a threat it has underpinned with growing military manoeuvres around Taiwan in recent years.
Most opinion polls have Lai, the vice-president, leading with 33 to 40 per cent. Former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je, whose Taiwan People’s party targets swing voters, and Hou Yu-ih from the Kuomintang, the largest opposition party, are in second and third place, respectively. Gou trails Hou with 15 per cent or less. As an independent, Gou needs to collect 290,000 signatures to qualify as a candidate.
The Foxconn founder, 72, retired as chair of the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer four years ago but is still a board member and shareholder.
Since the KMT picked Hou, mayor of New Taipei City, Taiwan’s most populous municipality, over Gou as its presidential candidate earlier this year, the billionaire entrepreneur has continued to hold campaign-style events.
Officials in Taiwan’s two big political parties and analysts believe that if the three opposition hopefuls fail to consolidate their bids, Lai’s victory is certain, but a deal among the three could upend the race.
Although Gou’s bid is a long shot, his candidacy raises questions about how he will handle Beijing’s political pressure on Taiwan given Foxconn’s heavy China presence. The company has 75 per cent of its 1mn global headcount in China and is the country’s largest private-sector employer and exporter.
Gou rejected the idea that the big China investments of Hon Hai, as Foxconn’s Taiwan-listed flagship is called, made him vulnerable to Chinese pressure.
“If the Communist Party of China says follow my orders or I will confiscate your Hon Hai assets, I will say, yes, please, do it!” he said. “I will not be threatened.”
Gou argued that Beijing could not afford to hurt Foxconn as it would affect investor confidence in China and disrupt global supply chains.
Political observers are now watching whether the three opposition candidates can reach a deal.
“Looking at the campaign rhetoric of Ko, Hou and Gou, there is a lot of overlap: We all believe voters are tired of the DPP, we all disagree with their cross-Strait policies, we all believe they are doing a poor job on the economy,” said a KMT politician who advises Hou.
“But it is extremely hard to come to an agreement, especially when you deal with Ko and Gou, who both have huge egos and drive a very hard bargain.”
Aides of Gou and Hou said the three opposition hopefuls had agreed to meet on Wednesday.
Polls suggest that while Ko has the strongest public support among the three, he would suffer the most from Gou’s candidacy. Scenarios discussed by observers include Ko becoming Hou’s running mate and Gou being promised the job of premier. Analysts are doubtful a compromise can be reached.
Despite his pledge to forge unity with his rivals, Gou has begun his run with big promises. “Give me four years, and I guarantee I’ll bring the next 50 years of peace in the Taiwan Strait. Give me four years, and I will make Taiwan the richest in Asia, and help it overtake Singapore in GDP per capita!” he said.
