Four Taiwan Foxconn workers are being held in detention in China, labelled “strange” by Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council. Reportedly, they were held in Zhengzhou, Henan province, on charges of “breach of trust”.
Taiwanese authorities are worried that this could be a case of corruption or abuse of power on the part of Chinese police as the detained employees had reportedly done nothing to harm the interests of Foxconn. Foxconn, which declined to comment on the situation, is one of the biggest companies in the supply chain for Apple and runs the electronics giant’s largest iPhone manufacturing plant in Zhengzhou, also called “iPhone City”.
It is the latest regulatory headache for Taiwan’s Foxconn after tax and land-use probes launched as far back as 2023. The timing seems somewhat eerie, considering the fact that Terry Gou, the Taiwanese electronics giant’s founder, announced his candidacy for presidency in recent weeks and tensions across the Strait were ratcheting up.
Taipei also issued warnings to its citizens regarding traveling to China, citing deep concerns over Beijing’s hardline stance on Taiwanese independence.
The detentions have raised further questions about risks facing foreign companies in China, where regulatory crackdowns and tensions with Taiwan continue to create an unpredictable business environment
