Taiwan's Foxconn Chief Hints At Presidential Run

Tech giant Foxconn's boss Terry Gou hinted Tuesday that he is considering running for president of Taiwan in elections early next year.

The 69-year-old had said on Monday that he would soon step back from frontline operations while remaining at the helm of the major Apple supplier.

But when asked by reporters on Tuesday if he would run for president, he said: "I will have meetings today and hear (feedback). Hopefully we can talk about this tomorrow or later."

Gou, a supporter of the Beijing-friendly opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party, said he would follow the party's nomination procedure "if I were to join the KMT's primary".

"If (I were to) stand from the height of the president to ponder over Taiwan's issues, I feel that peace, security, economy and future ... are most important," he said in comments aired by local TV channels.

Incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen, 62, of the Beijing-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has declared she is seeking re-election in the January 11 elections.

She faces the challenge of pro-independence former Premier William Lai in the party's primaries, and the DPP is set to announce its presidential candidate later this month.

Gou was born in 1950 in Taipei. His parents had fled the Communist victory in the mainland's civil war. He studied shipping management in college while supporting himself with part-time jobs.

He started his business in 1974 making television parts with an investment of TW$100,000 (US$3,250 at the current exchange rate) from his mother, and later began producing computer parts – eventually growing to become the world's biggest contract electronics maker. (AFP)