Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, has collected three times the amount of signatures needed to qualify to run in Taiwan¡¯s presidential elections, the government said on Tuesday.

In a statement, Gou thanked his backers for their ¡°enthusiastic support¡± and vowed to work hard to achieve ¡°peace across the Taiwan Strait.¡±

Gou announced his bid in August, saying he wanted to unite the opposition and ensure the island did not become ¡°the next Ukraine,¡± blaming the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for taking Taiwan to the brink of war by antagonizing China which claims the island as its own territory.