Terry Gou calls for economy to take precedence over politics

Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), who may vie for the presidency in 2020 as an independent candidate, shared Sunday his ideology of economy over politics with his followers and potential voters.

Gou shared his insights on Facebook following a three-day trip to the Middle East that concluded Friday.

"We should put most of our time and effort into economic and technological development rather than political mudslinging over political affiliations and topics such as unification versus independence," Gou said in his post.

Taiwan can search for more opportunities in the world with its industrial strengths, Gou contended.

The business tycoon raised the slogans of "industrial diplomacy" and "turn economic input into political output and profit" and vowed to revive the spirit of pragmatic economic diplomacy that marked the era of former President Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) for the best interests of Taiwan.

He did not elaborate on the slogans.

Meanwhile, Gou said he introduced Taiwan's achievements in healthcare to Saudi Arabia, where he noted the average lifespan there is only around 60-plus years old.

The average lifespan of Taiwanese citizens was 80.4 years in 2017 -- 77.3 years for men and 83.7 years for women, both of which are higher than the global averages of 68.6 years for men and 73.1 years for women, according to data released last September by the Ministry of the Interior.

Gou suggested that Taiwan should establish a "great healthcare industry" that integrates medical products, healthcare products, medical instruments, health management, health consultations and other related fields, and should maximize its export potential and tax revenue.

He further noted that Saudi Arabia wishes to automate and robotize its industries to resolve its long-term problem of manpower shortage. This industrial transformation could create a lot of opportunities for Taiwan in the future if the country has the intention of developing its automation industry.

At the end of his post, Gou hashtagged the phrases "whether I run for the presidency or not, economic diplomacy remains my eternal mission" and "(I am) the Republic of China's strongest 'plug-in,'" referring to himself as the best hope to boost Taiwan's economy and political status.