‘If the KMT seeks to seriously put Terry Gou forward as a presidential candidate, that would only furtheraccentuate the party’s present political crisis.’
The News Lens
Date: 16/11/25
Date: Brian Hioe
The thought is a terrifying one: Terry Gou (郭台銘) as president of Taiwan? After the election of Donald
Photo Credit: Reuters/達志影像
Trump in 2016 American presidential elections, it seems nothing it out of the question in global politics anymore.
Some connect Trump’s victory to global trends, as indicative of the rise of right-wing populist movements across the world, whether as seen in the success of the Brexit vote in the U.K. or the recent uptick in election polling that Marine Le Pen of the French National Front has received. But the possibility of wealthy businessmen entering politics as Gou or Trump has been floated in numerous countries after the Trump victory, not just in Taiwan. This would be a testament to the tremendous influence of American politics on global politics.
Gou is a strong advocate of closer relations between Taiwan and China, as an industrial magnate whose business enterprises are run with collusion with both the (Chinese Communist Party) CCP and Kuomintang (KMT). As such, because of his cross-Strait business ties, Gou is sometimes seen as the quintessential Taishang. Indeed, as it is in his business interests for there to be closer ties between Taiwan and China, Gou has donated large sums of money to and campaigned for the KMT many times in the past. [FULL STORY]
