Taiwanese billionaire Terry Gou is acting like a model presidential candidate: He’s held political rallies, penned an editorial in a US newspaper and released a book trumpeting his work ethic.
There’s just one problem: he’s not in the race, or not yet. The Foxconn founder kept Taiwan guessing again this week, when he skipped launching a much-teased bid to lead in one of the world’s biggest military flashpoints at a political rally swarmed by the island’s media.
Taiwan’s election in January will set the course for US-China relations for years to come, as the democratic island’s fate becomes a core issue in the two nations’ growing rivalry. If Gou became the fourth name on the ballot he’d most likely tip the balance further in favor of the frontrunner, Vice President Lai Ching-te, by splitting votes not cast for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
There is, however, a universe in which Gou could disrupt the election and still emerge victorious. If he unites with one of the other contenders ready to accept the notion Taiwan is part of China, their ticket could challenge Lai and hand President Xi Jinping a willing negotiating partner on the island, after nearly a decade of little to no communication. It’s a move Gou has hinted at, and the other candidates have sworn against, for now.
Having amassed a personal fortune of around $7 billion building factories in China that make most of the world’s iPhones, Gou first bid to become Taiwan’s president four years ago. That pitch to be the democratically ruled island’s answer to Donald Trump failed to earn him the opposition Kuomintang’s nomination. He quit the party soon after, with his camp calling it “conservative and hidebound”.
“He is rich already, he won’t be corrupted,” Li Yen, 71, said at Gou’s rally in Kinmen on Tuesday. “I believe he can maintain peace,” said Wendy Li, 31. “He won’t allow your life to be impacted by political problems.” Still, he has struggled to win over Taiwan’s electorate. His campaign has leaned into an old-school nationalism reminiscent of Taiwan’s authoritarian era, for example by urging attendees at his events to stand and sing the national anthem. While this may appeal to older voters, it hasn’t won him many supporters among the young.
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