Taipei prosecutors are investigating suspected bribes connected to Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) founder Terry Gou’s (郭台銘) presidential campaign, as the billionaire gathers signatures to run in next year’s election.
Thirteen people have been questioned over suspected cash payments offered in exchange for signatures in support of Gou’s presidential bid, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday.
Gou’s campaign has distanced itself from the suspects, repeating its earlier condemnation of illegal behavior.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The bribery investigation is the latest blow to Gou’s campaign. Chinese authorities last month announced a probe of the tech giant he founded.
Meanwhile, Gou and his running mate, Tammy Lai (賴佩霞), yesterday submitted petition signatures they collected to the Taipei City Election Commission.
“Today is a very important day. I am here to convey the aspirations of the Taiwanese people in pursuing democracy and freedom,” said Gou, who did not reveal the number of signatures filed.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Gou is required by law to collect 289,667 signatures, equivalent to 5 percent of eligible voters in the 2020 presidential election by today.
In related news, Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate, has said that Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) is “at the top” of the list of candidates he is considering as a running mate.
He made the remarks in a trailer aired on Tuesday for a TV interview with host Paul Lee (李四端).
In the interview clip, William Lai said he has a list of six possible vice presidential picks, of whom Hsiao and former minister of culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) have generated the most discussion.
Pressed by Lee on whether Hsiao is “at the top” of his list of potential running mates, Lai said: “Yeah, you could say that.”
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
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‘TROUBLEMAKER’: Most countries believe that it is China — rather than Taiwan — that is undermining regional peace and stability with its coercive tactics, the president said China should restrain itself and refrain from being a troublemaker that sabotages peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks after China Coast Guard vessels sailed into disputed waters off the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan — following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made regarding Taiwan. Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 said that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, and trigger Tokyo’s deployment of its military for defense. Asked about the escalating tensions
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