According to a statement from Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, the workers were detained in Zhengzhou, Henan province, on suspicion of “breach of trust.”.
With significant production facilities in China, the firm is the world’s largest employer and the leading supplier of iPhones to the US tech giant Apple.
Taiwanese officials stated that the case damages the trust of companies doing business in China and claimed that the detentions might be the result of a “abuse of power” by Chinese police personnel.
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that they were unaware of the situation.
China’s land and tax authorities opened an inquiry into the company in October of last year.
Terry Gou, the creator of Foxconn, was a contender in Taiwan’s presidential election at the time as an independent.
Taiwan has issued an advisory to its nationals to “avoid non-essential travel” to Hong Kong, Macau, and the mainland following China’s June release of guidelines outlining the harsh penalties that will be inflicted on anyone who Beijing characterizes as ardent “Taiwan independence” separatists.
The largest iPhone plant in the world, Foxconn’s Zhengzhou location is referred to as “iPhone City” for good reason.
Even though Beijing and Taipei have a protracted geopolitical schism, Foxconn is one of several Taiwanese companies that have established plants in China.
Beijing views the island as a province that broke away and will one day become a part of China.
