Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) has avoided commenting on China’s probe of the Taiwanese company in his first campaign appearances since Beijing authorities announced their investigation.
After disappearing from public life for days, Gou’s re-emergence on Saturday appears to indicate that he is not caving to pressure from Beijing, which is auditing Hon Hai’s taxes and looking into the company’s land use in China.
Gou, who is running to become Taiwan’s next president, attended an event for supporters on Saturday.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
He told reporters that he is continuing efforts to convince voters to support his candidacy as an independent, although he did not comment on the iPhone assembler’s ongoing trouble in China.
At a religious event yesterday in Taipei, Gou repeated his stance that Taiwanese do not want war with China, but there, too, he did not address Hon Hai’s China woes.
Before Saturday, the Taiwanese tycoon did not join any public event for days after China’s state-run Global Times reported on Oct. 22 that Chinese authorities were investigating Hon Hai, also known internationally as Foxconn Technology Group.
Chinese officials later confirmed the probe and said it was “normal law enforcement.”
At one point after the Global Times report, Hon Hai and three affiliates lost US$9 billion in value.
Gou is trailing far behind three other major presidential candidates, a survey released on Tuesday last week by TVBS showed.
The billionaire said in August that the Chinese Communist Party would not dare touch Hon Hai, as the tech company has too many foreign investors and global customers, including Apple and Tesla.
Foxconn’s extensive operations in China have raised concerns that Beijing could pressure Gou through his businesses.
In campaign speeches, Gou has said that he can improve fractious relations between Taipei and Beijing.
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