Foxconn’s Gou Vows to Help KMT’s Hou Win Taiwan President Vote

Cindy Wang
·2 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Foxconn Technology Group’s founder Terry Gou appeared to rule out an independent bid to become Taiwan’s president as he promised to back his former rival for the main opposition party’s nomination.

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The Kuomintang officially announced on Wednesday New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih as its candidate for next year’s election, snubbing the tech billionaire for a second election in a row.

Gou congratulated Hou for winning the Kuomintang’s nomination in a Facebook post, calling him “the best choice within the party.” Gou also promised to do his best to help Hou win the election and oust the current Democratic Progressive Party government, led by President Tsai Ing-wen.

Gou also said he had congratulated Hou in person on Tuesday night and asked him to continue promoting peace and prosperity.

Hou Yu-ih thanked Gou at a briefing Wednesday in Taipei after accepting the KMT nomination, and urged Gou and his supporters to show unity ahead of the election.

“Especially now when our country is in a dangerous international situation and facing domestic confrontation, the young people can’t see their future with all the trouble,” Hou said. “We need to make a change and have a transfer of ruling party.”

Taiwan’s KMT to Pick Hou for President Over Foxconn’s Gou

Hou will be taking on Vice President Lai Ching-te in January’s election, the winner of which will be thrust into the center of a worsening relationship between the world’s two largest economies. A victory for the DPP would see the US keep a willing partner in its efforts to push back against China, while a win for the KMT — Beijing’s preferred negotiating partner in Taiwan — would likely ensure closer ties between Taipei and the Communist Party-led government in Beijing.

“By nominating Hou, the KMT has a better chance of winning the election than having Terry Guo because of Hou’s flexibility and inexperience in issues related to China,” said Chen Yu-hua, assistant professor in China Studies at Akita International University. “For years, being too pro-China or too weak on China has been a deadly weakness in attracting support from Taiwan’s allies.”

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