Foxconn billionaire Gou announces Taiwan presidential bid

23 Sept 02:18 Key points summarised by AI

Foxconn founder Terry Gou declared his independent candidacy for Taiwan's 2024 presidential election, pursuing a long-held ambition to lead the self-ruled island.
Gou pledges to promote peace across the Taiwan Strait, promising to prevent war with China and establish deep mutual trust between the two sides.
His entry creates a four-way presidential race, which analysts suggest will likely fragment the opposition vote and increase the chances of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's candidate, Lai Ching-te, winning.
To qualify, Gou needs 290,000 signatures as an independent, while facing scrutiny over his past business ties to Beijing and drawing criticism from other opposition parties.

China-funded Confucius Institutes deemed US national security threat: Hegseth

Yesterday 08:48 Key points summarised by AI

The US Department of Defense officially designated China-funded Confucius Institutes as a threat to national security, citing their role as Chinese Communist Party propaganda tools.
Despite previous shutdowns, these organizations reappeared under new names across 30 universities, aiming to steal intellectual property and influence American students, but have since been dismantled by the Defense Department.