REUTERS
November 24, 2023
People walk pass poster of Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, who has collected three times the amount of signatures needed to qualify to run Taiwan's presidential elections in Taipei, Taiwan November 14, 2023.
TAIPEI--Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, on Friday withdrew from the race to be Taiwan's next president after the breakdown of opposition talks to mount a joint ticket against the ruling party.
Gou announced his bid in August, saying he wanted to unite the opposition and ensure the island did not become “the next Ukraine,” blaming the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for taking Taiwan to the brink of war by antagonizing China, which claims the island as its own territory.
Gou, who only got the go-ahead from the election commission last week after collecting enough valid signatures to run as an independent, said in a statement he was “withdrawing his body but not his spirit”.
“STOP, RESET, RESTART,” he added, using English.
He did not specify what he would do next in the presidential campaign or who he might back - Hou Yu-ih from Taiwan's largest opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT), or former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je from the much smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP).
“Must win! All right? Complete the change of power and change Taiwan,” Gou said.
Ko offered his thanks to Gou in a comment on Gou's Facebook page.
“We will definitely win!” Ko added.
Gou had tried to broker talks between the KMT and TPP to run together against the DPP, but those efforts imploded late Thursday after an angry showdown between leaders from the opposition parties in front of reporters and shown live on Taiwanese television channels at a conference room in a Taipei hotel.
Taiwan 2024 Election: Pro China Opposition Splits, Giving Edge To Pro-US Ruling Party
China, which has framed the election as a choice between "peace and war", believes the Pro US Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its presidential candidates are dangerous separatists and has rebuffed offers of talks.US Taiwan Flags
Outlook Web Desk
UPDATED: 24 NOV 2023
Taiwan's opposition parties, the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), both advocating for closer ties with China, registered separate presidential candidates on Friday. This development, following a failed attempt to form a joint ticket, could potentially strengthen the position of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has been resilient against Beijing's pressure.
The KMT and TPP had initially agreed to collaborate against the DPP but encountered difficulties in reaching a consensus on a united presidential ticket. The proposed "blue-white" ticket, symbolising the respective party colours, aimed to enhance their chances against the DPP. Polls indicated that a candidate backed by both parties had the best potential to challenge the DPP's candidate, Vice-President William Lai Ching-te.
Despite ongoing talks since October, the two opposition parties failed to resolve a dispute over the selection process for the joint candidate during a final round of discussions on Thursday.
The main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) is fielding Hou Yu-ih for the presidency, while Ko Wen-je will run for the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The KMT chose pro-China media personality Jaw Shaw-kong as Hou’s running mate while the TPP opted for one of its lawmakers Cynthia Wu.
The DPP, advocating for the people of Taiwan to determine their future, is fielding Vice President William Lai as its candidate, with Hsiao Bi-khim, Taipei’s former envoy in the United States, as his running mate.
China, which has framed the election as a choice between "peace and war", believes the DPP and its presidential candidates are dangerous separatists and has rebuffed offers of talks.
2024 Taiwan Election:
As Taiwan's voters gear up for the January 13th, 2024 election, the stakes are high. The DPP and KMT, the two main political entities, present opposing cross-strait strategies. The pro-unification KMT aims to ease tensions by reopening dialogue with China, asserting that both sides of the strait belong to one country.
On the other hand, the pro-independence DPP advocates for strengthening ties with the United States and its allies while bolstering military deterrence through increased defence spending and reform.
Despite the US not officially recognising Taiwan as an independent state, it opposes any forcible change in the status quo and is legally bound to assist the island in self-defence.
A victory for the DPP will do nothing to improve relations with Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland – by force if necessary.
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