Terry Gou, Explained | 2024 Taiwan Presidential Election
When Foxconn founder Terry Gou announced his bid for Taiwan's top office, it rocked the nation's politican scene. But who is this businessman-turned-politician?
Transcript
00:00 After Taiwan's top three political parties announced their presidential candidates,
00:05 the opposition vote had already been split in two.
00:09 Then came more trouble.
00:11 In August, the billionaire founder of iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, Terry Guo, once again
00:17 set his sights on Taiwan's highest office.
00:20 But this time, he's running as an independent against his old party.
00:27 This is Terry Guo, Explained.
00:34 Guo founded Foxconn in 1974.
00:37 Since then, it has grown to become the world's largest electronics manufacturer.
00:42 It employs over one million people in 20 countries, and it's famous for making Apple's iPhones.
00:48 In 2019, its boss felt ready for a change.
00:52 Terry Guo says he was instructed to enter politics in a dream sent by the sea goddess
00:57 Mazu.
00:58 That year, Guo was one of the five contenders vying for nomination by the main opposition
01:03 Kuomintang, or KMT.
01:06 He stepped down as Foxconn chief to run, but stayed on the board.
01:11 After losing the primary to charismatic Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu, Guo left the KMT.
01:16 But he didn't give up his dream of becoming president.
01:19 Taiwan needs a political party that speaks the truth, a political party with a future,
01:29 a country without war, and a president with ability.
01:35 Guo has pledged to restart talks with China, frozen since President Tsai Ing-wen came to
01:40 power.
01:41 And he says unlike his rivals, Hou You-yi and Kou Wen-je, he's got the experience to
01:46 do it.
01:48 According to the Wall Street Journal, when Foxconn's largest factory in Zhengzhou, China
01:52 was locked down in 2022 after a COVID outbreak, a letter from the Foxconn founder helped convince
01:59 Chinese policymakers to lift its strict zero-COVID policy.
02:04 Terry Guo wants to claim that he is able to best negotiate with Beijing as opposed to
02:10 Hou and as opposed to Kou Wen-je.
02:13 In this presidential race, Guo will almost certainly divide even more voters who lean
02:17 towards the KMT, whose party colour is blue.
02:21 When you have so many blue candidates, it's going to split the vote and it's going to
02:26 create a very big collective action problem.
02:29 Guo has already begun his campaign, but to actually get on the ballot, he needs to collect
02:34 almost 290,000 signatures by November 2nd.
02:40 So while Terry Guo may have found success as a businessman, he hasn't yet hit the jackpot
02:45 in his political career.
02:48 But with his unique position, will he be able to speak to China's economic interests and
02:53 bring peace to the Taiwan Strait?
02:55 [MUSIC]