Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, has a dramatic manifesto for Taiwan’s presidency: rescue the country from the “brink of a precipice” and make it the richest in Asia.
“I have created a world-class company from scratch. I will apply that pioneer spirit to improve everybody’s lives!” Gou wrote on Facebook after announcing his campaign for the January 13 presidential election this week.
Gou’s resume is impressive, given Foxconn is the world’s largest contract electronics maker, with $208bn in revenue last year. But analysts said the chances of his candidacy succeeding were slim, and its most likely effect would be to splinter support among those who want Taiwan to take a more conciliatory line on China than its governing Democratic Progressive party.
Read the full story on the Financial Times here.