Taiwan President-Hopeful Terry Gou Talks With Trump

(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan presidential-hopeful Terry Gou, chief of Apple Inc.’s biggest manufacturing partner, discussed his candidacy with Donald Trump during a visit to the White House Wednesday, a person familiar with the matter said.

No sitting American president has met with a prospective Taiwanese presidential candidate since the U.S. cut ties with Taiwan in 1979. But Trump has tested the boundary before, holding an unprecedented phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in the window between his 2016 election and inauguration -- a move that prompted protests from Beijing.

The billionaire, whose Foxconn Technology Group is China’s largest private employer as well as the main assembler of the world’s iPhones, declared his political ambitions in April and is regarded as friendly to Beijing. Gou told Trump that, if elected, he would encourage Taiwanese corporations to invest in the U.S. and be a peace-maker rather than a trouble-maker, according to the person, who declined to be identified talking about a private meeting.

Gou also intends to press ahead with construction of a panel factory in the swing state of Wisconsin, a project once envisioned as a $10 billion investment that has fallen far behind schedule, Taiwan’s Liberty Times reported earlier. The Taiwanese billionaire’s company has said that complex would crank out displays as part of a global manufacturing empire stretching from Brazil to China.

Foxconn didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Representatives for the White House declined to comment.

Read more: U.S. Warships Sail by Taiwan as Gou Calls for High-Tech Defense

Taiwan has re-emerged as a flash point between the U.S. and China, as Tsai seeks Washington’s support to counter a global isolation campaign by Beijing. China hawks in the U.S. have advocated increased diplomatic and military ties, including weapons sales and high-level visits, as part of a “whole-of-government” approach to push back against growing Chinese clout in the Asia-Pacific.

Gou said in mid-April he would seek the nomination of the China-friendly opposition Kuomintang party in next year’s election, a process expected to play out in coming weeks. He’s regarded as the most prominent candidate for the KMT’s presidential nomination, in a race that will determine whether Taiwan moves closer to China.

The 2020 election may thus pit the billionaire against Tsai, whose Democratic Progressive Party advocates a more decisive split from Beijing, which regards the island as part of its territory.

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.