The arrival on the political scene of a brash China-friendly billionaire has alarmed pro-independence supporters and put foreign governments on notice.
Financial Review
Date: May 1, 2019
By: Michael Smith, China Correspondent
Taipei |Taiwanese billionaire Terry Gou made a bizarre debut to the island state’s
Foxconn chief Terry Gou is worth an estimated $US4.3 billion. His candidacy is further evidence that economics will play a big role in the January elections. Bloomberg
presidential election race. Taiwan’s richest man, who made a fortune manufacturing iPhones from his factories in China, declared a Chinese sea goddess came to him in a dream and told him to run for the nation’s highest office.
The arrival on Taiwan’s political scene of the brash founder of manufacturing giant Foxconn alarmed pro-independence supporters, who fear it is a sign that economics will triumph over democracy in an election crucial to determining Taiwan’s future.
It also comes as tensions between Washington and China over Taiwan escalate. Two US naval vessels were sent through the Taiwan Strait over the weekend in what was seen as a strategic challenge to China by the Trump administration.
Foxconn chief Terry Gou is worth an estimated $US4.3 billion. His candidacy is further evidence that economics will play a big role in the January elections. Bloomberg
Gou, who is often compared to the flamboyant US President, has extensive business interests in China where many of his company’s factories are located.
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