TAIPEI, Sept 2 (Reuters) – Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of Apple’s main supplier Foxconn, has resigned as a member of the company’s board of directors, the Taiwanese company said on Saturday, less than a week after announcing his candidacy to be the next president of the island.
Following months of speculation, Gou, who left Foxconn’s chairmanship in 2019, announced on Monday that he would run as an independent candidate in January’s presidential election.
In a brief statement, Foxconn said Gou resigned for “personal reasons” and “officially handed over the leadership of the group to a professional manager four years ago.”
Gou’s campaign declined to comment.
Asked Monday about his conflict of interest as a major shareholder in Foxconn, which has massive investments in China, Gou said he is willing to “sacrifice” his personal assets in China in the event of an attack by Beijing.
“I have never been under the control of the PRC,” he said. “I don’t follow your instructions.”
Gou is the fourth person to run on the campaign trail, but his poll numbers, even before his announcement, put him well behind the frontrunner, current vice president William Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party (PDP).
The elections come at a time of rising tensions with Beijing, which is holding regular military exercises near the island, raising fears of a possible conflict.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing in Spanish by Carlos Serrano)
Source: Ambito
