TERRY GOU, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, yesterday announced a bid to be Taiwan's president in January elections, saying he wanted to unite the opposition and ensure the island did not become "the next Ukraine".

Gou is the fourth person to throw his hat in the ring, but his poll numbers before his announcement put him well behind the frontrunner, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) William Lai, who is currently vice president.

Gou, 72, stepped down as Foxconn chief in 2019 and made his first presidential bid that year, but dropped out after he failed to win the nomination for Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang KMT. The KMT traditionally favours close ties with China, whose government claims Taiwan as its own territory.

Speaking at a Taipei conference centre, Guo said the DPP has "led Taiwan towards the danger of war" and their domestic policies "are filled with mistakes".

"Give me four years and I promise that I will bring 50 years of peace to the Taiwan Strait," he said.

Reuters

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