Chinese authorities have detained four workers of the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn, an incident that Taiwan has described as “strange.” The employees were arrested in Zhengzhou, Henan province, on charges of “breach of trust,” according to a statement from Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council.
Foxconn is the largest manufacturer of iPhones for Apple and is recognized as one of the world’s largest employers, with extensive manufacturing facilities in China. The company has not yet issued a comment regarding the arrests.
Taiwanese officials have suggested that the detentions may reflect an “abuse of power” by Chinese police officers, raising concerns about the implications for businesses operating in China. The situation has heightened tensions as it undermines the confidence of foreign enterprises in the region. In contrast, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry stated that they were unaware of the details surrounding the arrests.
The arrests come in the wake of an investigation launched by Chinese tax and land authorities into Foxconn in October of last year, coinciding with the presidential campaign of the company’s founder, Terry Gou, who was running as an independent candidate in Taiwan.
In response to escalating tensions and the increasing scrutiny of Taiwanese citizens in China, Taiwan has advised its citizens to “avoid non-essential travel” to the mainland, as well as to Hong Kong and Macau. This advisory follows Beijing’s introduction of new guidelines in June imposing criminal penalties on what it describes as diehard “Taiwan independence” separatists.
Foxconn’s Zhengzhou facility, often referred to as “iPhone City,” is the world’s largest iPhone manufacturing plant. Despite the ongoing geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Taipei, many Taiwanese companies, including Foxconn, have established manufacturing operations in China.
The Chinese government views Taiwan as a breakaway province that must eventually reunify with the mainland and has not ruled out the possibility of using force to achieve this goal. However, many residents of Taiwan consider themselves part of a separate nation. Most Taiwanese prefer to maintain the status quo, avoiding any formal declaration of independence while also rejecting unification with China.
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how these detentions will impact Foxconn’s operations and the broader relationship between Taiwan and China.
