Hon Hai Precision Industry (鴻海集團) chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) yesterday apologized after his dismissal of his wife’s opposition to his presidential bid with the remark “the harem should not meddle in politics” drew criticism.
“I would like to solemnly apologize to those who feel offended [by what I said]. I have used an inappropriate metaphor. I would like to apologize for that,” he said.
Gou on Wednesday last week made a surprise announcement that he plans to run for president after declaring the sea goddess Matsu urged him to do so.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
The plain-speaking 69-year-old tycoon is seeking the nomination of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for the January next year polls.
However, Gou’s wife, Delia Tseng (曾馨瑩), appeared to be none too happy with his foray into politics.
In a series of TV interviews aired on Thursday, Gou said Tseng had left home after he made the announcement.
“My biggest challenge now is my wife who has already left home,” he told local channel ECB.
In response to media queries for his reaction to his wife’s departure, Gou was quoted by local Chinese-language media as saying that “the harem should not meddle in politics.”
Those comments sparked a backlash on social media.
“Who does chairman Gou think he is? If he wants to be an emperor he should go to China to replace [Chinese President] Xi Jinping (習近平),” feminist campaigner and Social Democratic Party convener Fan Yun (范雲) wrote on Facebook.
“When you wanted to run, you said a woman [Matsu] asked you to, now you are telling women not to meddle in politics,” she added, addressing Gou.
Some Internet users offended by the remarks urged Gou to withdraw from the presidential race.
“How many women are in chairman Gou’s harem? He wants to be an emperor in the Republic of China. He should withdraw,” one post read.
TVBS has reported that Tseng yesterday returned to Taiwan from a trip to Japan, while SETV quoted Gou as saying that he would be home welcoming her back.
Gou later said that Tseng had returned home.
Known for his aggressive dealmaking and often mercurial public appearances, Gou has been snapping up investments from Japan to India in a bid to diversify from electronics assembly.
The bulk of Gou’s investments are in China, employing more than 1 million workers in the country where cheap labor helped fuel his company’s meteoric rise.
Gou was born in 1950 in Taipei to parents who had fled the Chinese Communist Party’s victory in the Chinese Civil War.
He studied shipping management in college while supporting himself with part-time jobs.
He started his business in 1974 making television parts with an investment of NT$100,000 from his mother and later began producing computer parts — eventually growing to become the world’s biggest contract electronics maker.
Additional reporting by staff writer
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
When Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Leidy Galeano returned from an all-expenses-paid tour of six Chinese cities late last year, she was convinced Paraguay risked missing out on major economic gains by sticking with longtime ally Taipei over Beijing — a message that participants on the trip heard repeatedly from Chinese officials. “Everything I saw there, I wanted for my country,” said Galeano, a member of the newly-formed Yo Creo party whose senior figures have spoken favorably about China. This trip and others like it — which people familiar with the visits said were at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo
RSS