Chinese authorities have detained four Taiwanese workers at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant, the world’s largest iPhone production facility. The plant is responsible for approximately 80% of global production.
The employees were detained thanks to powers the Chinese government self-granted to itself in 2023. Aurthorities have not yet announced a reason for the move, but it is believed to be political.
The WSJ reports:
Four Taiwanese employees at Chinese facilities that make products for Apple have been detained by local authorities, Taiwanese officials said, the latest example of corporate detentions that have hurt business confidence
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One of the agencies said the employees were accused of an offense akin to breach of trust, although the exact nature of the allegations couldn’t be determined
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Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) […] described the allegations as bizarre and said improper detention could severely damage investor confidence in China.
The MAC said there had been no financial loss. Meanwhile, neither Apple or Foxconn has commented on the incident.
Tension between China and Taiwan has increased in recent years, as China has been rattling its sabres, indicating they have a plan to invade Taiwan. Many observers believe China may invade Taiwan some time in 2027, which will be the 100th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army.
Apple has been working to move a large portion of its device manufacturing to other countries, including Vietnam and India.
Apple chipmaker TSMC has reportedly made plans to keep the company’s chipmaking capabilities out of the hands of the Chinese government, as the company and its Dutch chip machine supplier ASML have made joint plans to remotely disable the chip-making machines if the Chinese do invade Taiwan.
China has recently begun detaining employees who are vocal about supporting Taiwan’s independence claims, in some cases threatening them with the death penalty.
