April  18, 2019

Anna Wood 

Terry Gou, the founder of Foxconn, announced on the 17th that he will run for Taiwan's President in 2020, which is a bombshell in the political arena. It attracts not only the Taiwan people's but also foreign media's attention. Gou's internet popularity sharply heightens, far ahead of the Taiwan's internet voice kings, such as Mayor of Kaohsiung Daniel Han, President Tsai Ing-wen and others. 

Terry Gou said that Mazu, Sea Goddess, appeared in his dream, urged him to come out and seek peace with China. Therefore, the tycoon decides to run for President. His wealth and fame immediately make him a strong competitor, which causes a sensation island wide.

When Terry Guo visited the Cihuimazu Temple on the 17th, he showed his superb sales skills through speaking in Taiwanese language (Hokkien). He emphasized the culture and tradition of the locals. 

Bloomberg News interprets it helps refute the criticism of his closeness with Beijing where people speak Mandarin and the Chinese Communist Party which downplays religion. 

The New York Times mentioned that Guo, the $76 billion Taiwan's richest man, will participate in the presidential primary election of Taiwan’s current opposition party, the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party, KMT), which is relatively friendly with Mainland China. This is a delicate moment on both sides of the Strait. 

Guo's action has hit Taiwan’s current ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is struggling in the polls. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) points out Guo will adopt a more friendly approach to China than the current Taiwan's President Tsai if he is elected. 

According to the analysis of the Nikkei, the election of Guo may have an impact on Foxconn. If Guo, who has always exerted strong leadership, steps down from business, it may bring disorder to the overall operations of Foxconn and Sharp. 

Terry Guo is a political novice although he has joined the Kuomintang for 50 years. Guo has invested huge amount of money in China, the United States, India and East Europe. Most of his factories are in Mainland China and employ more than one million workers. The outside world may still wonder if Guo understand the feelings of Taiwan’s grassroots and labors.

In addition, he has a good relationship with US President Trump. After Trump hosted the White House, Terry Guo announced he would invest in America. 

Lin, Teh-chang, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University, said that whether Daniel Han or Terry Guo represents the KMT to run for Taiwan's President, the Beijing government will look favorably on it because both of them advocate exchanging more between the two sides. 

Wang Yeh-lih, a professor at National Taiwan University, suggests that Guo, entering the government as an entrepreneur, be more pragmatic about cross-strait relations, and have a positive effect on economic and trade exchanges between the two sides.

Guo is a little bit older for Taiwanese, and some may make a big fuss about his health and physical strength. It is a challenge to convince people. Though Guo's popularity reflects the general public's dislike of traditional political figures; he must overcome the above challenges in the way to the president.