Recognise Taiwan’s title and then we’ll talk, Foxconn billionaire Terry Gou tells Beijing
- Presidential hopeful takes a stand on ‘Republic of China’ after critics question his sovereignty credentials
- Foxconn chief’s investments on mainland and close contact with mainland leadership have brought him under intense scrutiny
Foxconn’s billionaire chairman and aspiring Taiwanese presidential candidate Terry Gou has called on Beijing to recognise the “Republic of China”, Taiwan’s official title.
Gou also said he had no plan to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, countering critics who claim he would sell out the self-ruled island because of his multibillion-US dollar manufacturing empire on the mainland.
The businessman, who hopes to be the nominee for the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) in the presidential race next year against incumbent Tsai Ing-wen, gave the assurances after the Tsai government accused him of spreading erroneous information about Taiwan’s sovereignty – a highly sensitive election issue.
“And since I have announced that I will take part in the KMT primaries to run on the party ticket for president, I will continue to do so without hesitation. As the president of the [Republic of China] of course, I must make the interests of the ROC the priority without a second thought,” he said.