Hon Hai Group chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) yesterday said his remark that “the nation should rely on peace for national defense” was misunderstood by many, adding that what he really meant was that the nation’s money should be spent on the “sharp edge of the knife” by developing high-tech weapons.
Gou made the remark on the sidelines of a general meeting of an association of township mayors in Taichung, which was also attended by former Taipei County commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) and former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), both of whom have expressed an interest in being nominated as the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate for next year’s presidential election.
Gou, who on April 17 announced that he would participate in the KMT primary, said that he was still not used to attending political events, but that he would get used to them with time and that many friends had suggested that he be “more down-to-earth.”
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Many people misunderstood his remark that “national defense should rely on peace,” Gou said.
He had not meant that Taiwan should not buy weapons or not have the capability of defending itself, but rather that the money should be spent where it would make the most difference, such as by choosing uncrewed weapons, Gou said, adding that he has been developing advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence applications, 5G wireless networks and 8K-resolution products.
Gou said that he believes weapons rely on technology and the more that national defense relies on peace, the more it relies on technology.
In facing China, there should be neither provocations nor fear, Gou said, adding: “Because why would Chinese people want to attack Chinese people?”
After saying on Thursday that his wife, Delia Tseng (曾馨瑩), left home in protest of his presidential bid, Guo yesterday said on Facebook that his wife had now “chosen to support him in an understanding way.”
In other news, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the KMT, who last year claimed that he won the mayoral election with “a bottle of mineral water” and “a bowl of braised pork rice” — implying his plainspoken public image — was accused by former KMT legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) of receiving a NT$40 million (US$1.29 million) in campaign contributions raised by KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義).
Wu yesterday reiterated that he did not personally handle the money, adding that “one can eat braised pork rice while running in an election, but can one offer other people braised pork rice, too? Or can one pay for putting out campaign advertisements with braised pork rice? That’s impossible.”
It is natural that there must be some money to pay for advertisements and promotional materials, he added.
The past two years were a difficult time for the KMT, as he had to go about borrowing money from good friends that he trusts and respects to finance the party, the former Kaohsiung mayor added.
Wu said that he is thankful to Tsai for his consideration and for mentioning his hard work, but added that Han also had a difficult time.
He was in Kaohsiung for many years and befriended businesspeople, Wu said, adding that he shared with them what a brave person Han is and that some of them donated NT$30,000, NT$50,000 or even NT$100,000.
However, he did not personally handle the donations, so he is not clear on the details, Wu said.
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