Taiwan’s billionaire presidential candidate withdraws from race

Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of Foxconn, Apple’s main supplier, and a Taiwanese presidential candidate, announced on Friday that he was withdrawing from his candidacy just hours before the filing deadline.

In his statement, Gou did not give a specific reason for the withdrawal, but said: “I have never given up on the battlefield of the international business world. “But for the future of our country, choosing to surrender is the only love I can give to my country,” he added.

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Presidential elections in Taiwan will be held on January 13, 2024. Gou, a billionaire with limited political experience, announced in August that he was an independent candidate and resigned from Foxconn’s board of directors.

Gou has positioned himself as an alternative to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is seen as hostile to Beijing, but said he was not afraid of China when he announced his candidacy.

Gou challenged the Chinese government with the words: “If the Chinese Communist Party regime says, ‘If you don’t listen to me, I will confiscate your assets in Foxconn,’ I say, ‘Yes, please do it.'”