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Independent presidential candidate Gou: "I wish him the best"

Photo: ANN WANG / REUTERS

Terry Gou has cleared the most important hurdle for a candidacy in Taiwan's presidential election. The billionaire founder of the major Apple supplier Foxconn in Taiwan has collected three times as many signatures as required, the government announced on Tuesday. In a statement, Gou thanked his supporters for their "enthusiastic support" and pledged to work for "peace in the Taiwan Strait."

Gou wants to run in the next elections with a united opposition and ensure that the island does not become the "next Ukraine". He accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of leading Taiwan to the brink of war by angering the government in Beijing, which claims the island as China's territory.

Tax audit because of the candidacy?

Gou, who resigned as Foxconn chief executive in 2019, had to collect around 2,300 signatures from voters by Nov. 000 to qualify as an independent candidate, according to election regulations. According to the Electoral Commission, he has received more than 900,000 valid signatures. Gou now has until Friday to officially register his candidacy with the Election Commission.

The 73-year-old Gou is one of four candidates in the election, which is scheduled to take place in January. According to opinion polls, he has little chance and is far behind the leading candidate Lai Ching-te of the DPP, who currently serves as vice president.

Gou has been keeping a low profile since a Chinese newspaper suggested last month that a tax audit of Foxconn's operations in China was due to Beijing's dissatisfaction with its campaign. The fear is that he could split the votes of the opposition and allow Lai to win. The other two opposition candidates have so far shown little interest in working with Gou, preferring instead to talk to each other about cooperating against Lai.

China's government considers Lai a separatist. He believes that only the Taiwanese people can decide their future and has repeatedly offered talks with China, which Beijing has rejected.

Asked about potential political risks that could arise from Gou's candidacy for the company, Foxconn chairman Young Liu said Gou has the right to make his own decisions. But he added that the company was "prepared for all possible eventualities." I wish him the best. That's all I can say."

mik/Reuters