Mainland China detains four Taiwanese employees at Apple’s ‘iPhone city’

Police in Zhengzhou city have detained four Foxconn staff on charges of breach of trust, according Taiwanese officials

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Employees during lunch hours at a Foxconn Technology Group plant in Zhengzhou, Henan province. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 10:08am, 11 Oct 2024

Chinese police have taken into custody four Taiwanese employees at Hon Hai Precision Industry, Apple’s main assembly partner, the latest in a spate of detentions that have rattled investor confidence in the country.

Police in the central mainland Chinese city of Zhengzhou detained the quartet on charges of breach of trust, according to a statement from Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council on Wednesday. Zhengzhou is where Hon Hai, the flagship company of Foxconn Technology Group, operates the world’s largest iPhone assembly plant.

The four employees are all Taiwanese, according to Elsie Tsai, spokeswoman for Taiwan’s semi-official Straits Exchange Foundation, which provides administrative support for Taiwanese with their affairs in mainland China.

The employees have not damaged Hon Hai’s interest in any way, the council said in the statement, citing its understanding from the company. The incident could have been a result of some local police officers abusing their power, according to the council.

Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant is responsible for making most of Apple’s iPhones. Photo: Reuters

Local media in Taiwan reported that the four Hon Hai employees were detained earlier this year.

A Foxconn representative did not have immediate comment on Thursday, which is a holiday in Taiwan. Mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office also did not immediately respond to a faxed inquiry.