TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Foxconn Technology founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) said Friday (Aug. 25) he wanted to meet opposition presidential candidates Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) next week.
The tycoon has been touring the country and delivering speeches for months, but has still not officially declared whether he would run for president in the Jan. 13, 2024 election. The Kuomintang (KMT) selected New Taipei City Mayor Hou as its candidate without holding a primary, while Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) also declared his candidacy.
In the meantime, Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been solidifying his overall lead in the opinion polls.
Gou told reporters during a temple visit Friday that he was available to meet Hou and Ko next week at the earliest, but that he was still waiting for a reply to his invitation from Ko, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported.
The tycoon said he wanted to discuss a strategy for victory in the elections. He did emphasize, however, he was keeping all options open and would set no preconditions for the meeting, while expecting the others to do the same.
Responding to a question from reporters, Gou said he had not decided yet where to locate election campaign headquarters, though the answer would be clear next week. However, he did not say whether that meant he had decided to enter the race.
Gou also warned that even if the three joined forces, they might not win the election, but if they did not agree, then the DPP would certainly triumph.
