Foxconn founder joins Taiwan presidential race for January 11 vote

Taiwanese billionaire Terry Gou announced after months of speculation that he will run in the January 11, 2024 presidential election.
Speaking at a news conference in Taipei on Monday morning, Gou declared that his candidacy aimed to spur the "integration" of a "majority public will" to oppose the center-left Democratic Progressive Party administration of President Tsai Ing-wen.
Gou, the founder of Foxconn, or the Hon Hai Precision Instruments Group, is now the fourth declared candidate. He is standing alongside incumbent Vice President Lai Ching-te for the DPP, New Taipei City mayor and former national police chief Hou Yu-ih for the right-wing Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) and former Taipei City mayor Ko Wen-je for his Taiwan People's Party.
Recent polls show Lai with a solid lead over all three declared opposition candidates, with Gou in last place.
Gou declared that during the past seven years the DPP administration had "brought Taiwan to the brink of war" with the People's Republic of China, which claims sovereignty over the democratic self-governed island state.
"If elected, I promise that Taiwan will not become a second Ukraine," said Gou, who warned that the conservative opposition "will not necessarily win if united, but will surely lose if divided."
A KMT spokesperson expressed "extreme regret" for Gou's decision and urged the Hon Hai tycoon to fulfil his earlier promise to "go all out to support Mayor Hou" before the KMT officially drafted the New Taipei City mayor in May.
DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao stated that the governing party hoped "all camps can focus on rational public policy debate and refrain from using the fear of war to intimidate our citizens."
Gou and his vice running mate must submit nearly 290,000 signatures for their petition to become candidates to the Central Election Commission by November 2.