Terry Gou's Choice as a Successful Entrepreneur

 Terry Gou's Choice as a Successful Entrepreneur

China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

September 17, 2019

 Translation of an Excerpt

Whether Terry Gou was going to run for the presidency, he finally showed his cards in the late night of the 16^th.

Gou reined in his horse on the edge of the cliff, announcing his withdrawal from the race; this move has a positive effect for not only he himself, but for the Hon Hai Group (Foxconn).

In May this year, Terry Gou embarked on a tour to the United States. It was imaginable that in his planning for the trip, he intended to garner the exalted treatment of Trump’s anointment, which would widen the gap with all other political figures in Taiwan, laying the foundation of advantages for himself in the 2020 presidential election. Nevertheless, commentaries and interpretations of outside circles focused on US impatience over the “rubber check” issued by Foxconn for investment in Wisconsin, demanding that Gou substantiate his commitment as soon as possible. A perfect political show ended up being the embarrassment of “lecturing in an audience with Trump”; this must have been beyond Terry Gou’s expectations.

Nearly all could see that Terry Gou was a poor sport, so he hoisted a flag claiming to transcend Blue and Green, but "turning from Blue to White", and exchanging “glances of admiration” with Ko Wen-je, who "had turned from Green to White", the two hit it off right away. However, after Ko Wen-je simply blurted out “Tung Chee-hwa 2.0” in questioning Terry Gou, it made Gou defenseless. In order to cleanse the misgivings on the part of Ko Wen-je and company, Terry Gou had to distance himself from Beijing without a bottom line, priding himself on countering the Mainland. A business leader who had fully enjoyed the cross-Strait "peace dividends" for more than 3 decades, surprisingly has become a "teammate pulling the team’s legs" in cross-Strait relations; this was truly ridiculous.

Recently, all have overlooked two important messages: One is FIH Mobile Limited, a subsidiary of Hon Hai, was removed from “Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect.” The second is that Foxconn’s plant in Zhengzhou was accused of violating the Mainland’s “Labor Contract Act.” In response to Terry Gou’s remarks concerning cross-Strait political coordinates, the spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) under the State Council declared that if the "1992 Consensus" were not adhered to, cross-Strait relations would be undermined, the situation in the Taiwan Strait would be in turmoil, and the interests and welfare of Taiwan compatriots would be harmed. On the touchstone of Terry Gou and the required questionnaire of the "1992 Consensus", Terry Gou’s wavering, vacillating, and even alienation have made himself an indeterminate factor in cross-Strait relations.

The only outcome of Terry Gou’s entering the presidential race as an independent candidate would be a great split in the pan-Blue camp, a great split in the anti-Taiwan independence camp, and a great split in camp supporting cross-Strait peaceful development, while the splits this time could lead to irreparable consequences in cross-Strait relations and Taiwan’s future in the next 10 years. How the Mainland is going to judge Terry Gou, he himself should know the best. For this reason, Terry Gou finally made a wise decision to withdraw from the race.

For Terry Gou himself, for the KMT, the decision to withdraw from the race is a correct option. Let Hon Hai sail unscathed in the US-China trade war, seeking new opportunities for transformation and adjustment, continue to benefit Taiwan’s society, making the shingle of the "pride of Taiwan" continue to shine, making the glory of the Republic of China everlasting-- this is precisely the most fitting role for Terry Gou as a successful entrepreneur.

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