Over in Taipei, a highly anticipated encounter unfolded at another memorial event for the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, billionaire Terry Gou, and KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng made their first joint appearance at a concert at 823 Artillery Battle Memorial Park. The three of them remained tightlipped with media, but Gou hinted that he hadn''t ruled out a presidential run. Standing in front of an old warplane, Gou, Ko and Wang join hands in a show of solidarity. The trio met at a concert commemorating the 61st anniversary of the Aug. 23 Artillery Battle, in what was seen as a bid to court the military vote. Mayor Ko took care to mention both of his guests in the opening remarks.Ko Wen-jeTaipei mayorLastly, we’d like to thank two special guests, Chairman Terry Gou and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng. They came out here to support this event and they’ve made this meeting all the more meaningful. At the memorial park, they made their first joint appearance. Ko and Wang have reportedly reached a consensus that they would throw their support behind Gou for 2020.Terry GouHon Hai founderI, Terry Gou, hereby declare that my resolute determination to protect the Republic of China’s freedom and democracy will never change. Tsai Chin-yuYonglin Healthcare FoundationIf the current presidential candidates were able to make Taiwan better, and to give the people better lives, then Chairman Gou with all his stature and wealth would just go on and retire. But that not being the case, he’s thinking about what he could do that would be best for Taiwan. Though lasting only an hour, the meeting between Ko and the two presidential hopefuls was nothing short of eventful. KMT Taipei Councilor Wu Shih-cheng held up a sign urging Gou to refuse cooperation with Ko. Meanwhile, supporters of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu and nativist groups also put up a vocal protest.
