Foxconn's Terry Gou will seek Taiwan presidency as an independent, but he'll need signatures to run

abcnews.go.com:

Terry Gou, the founder of Apple supplier Foxconn, plans to run as an independent in Taiwan's presidential election next year, ending months of speculation

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Terry Gou, who founded Apple supplier Foxconn, said Monday he will run as an independent candidate in Taiwan's presidential election, ending months of speculation.

At a news conference, Gou criticized the governing Democratic Progressive Party, saying its policies have “brought Taiwan into the risk of war” with China, which claims the self-ruled island democracy as part of its territory.

“I will definitely not allow Taiwan to become the next Ukraine,” he added.

He said Taiwan also needs new approaches on the economy and other matters at home. “Domestically, the national policy direction is filled with all sorts of mistakes. There’s no way to solve the difficulties of Taiwanese industry and people’s livelihoods,” he said.

Gou's Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., is a major supplier to Apple and has many factories in China that manufacture iPhones.

Ideologically, Gou is most in line with the Kuomingtang, the opposition party that is friendly to China. The party holds that Taiwan and China are part of one country, called the Republic of China. The Kuomingtang ruled over China in the early half of the 20th century before they lost a civil war to the Communist Party. They retreated to Taiwan in 1949, where they vowed to one day retake the republic.

Gou has long had presidential aspirations. He lost in the Kuomingtang primary in 2019 and tried again this year, but the party selected New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih as its candidate. Back in May, Gou said on his Facebook page that he would support Hou's candidacy.

Experts say Gou is