Four people working for Foxconn in China have been detained, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, describing the circumstances as “quite strange.”
The employees were detained in Zhengzhou for what is the equivalent of “breach of trust” under Taiwan law, it said.
“The circumstances surrounding this case are quite strange,” the council said.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
Foxconn “has declared that the company suffered no losses, and the four employees did not harm the company’s interests in any way,” it said, without providing details about when they were detained, their nationalities or their roles.
Foxconn, known in Taiwan as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, is the world’s biggest contract electronics manufacturer and assembles devices for major tech companies, including Apple.
Most of its factories are in China, including in Zhengzhou, which has been dubbed “iPhone City,” as it is home to the world’s biggest iPhone factory.
The four detainees were Taiwanese, said the Straits Exchange Foundation, a semi-official body in Taiwan that handles people and business exchanges with China.
The case “might involve corruption and abuse of power by a small number of public security officials, which has severely damaged business confidence,” the council said. “We urge relevant authorities across the Strait to investigate and address the matter promptly.”
A Foxconn spokesman declined to comment when contacted by AFP. The Chinese minister of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment either.
Chinese regulators last year conducted tax audits and reviewed land used by Foxconn when company founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) bid to become president of Taiwan. A Foxconn subsidiary was later handed a 20,000 yuan (US$2,831) fine for overstating expenses. It is still unclear whether Chinese regulators have completed their probe into Foxconn.
Beijing has taken aggressive actions against the staff of foreign firms in recent years, as tensions with the US and its allies mount, spurring concerns about the safety of employees at multinational firms.
An executive at Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma Inc was indicted for espionage in August. Before that, Beijing fined US-based Mintz Group about US$1.5 million for illegal data collection, months after officials raided its offices and detained five of its Chinese employees.
More similar incidents took place last year.
American consultancy Bain & Co said Chinese authorities questioned staff at its Shanghai office. Officials also publicized a raid at Capvision, a consulting firm headquartered in New York and Shanghai, accusing the company of abetting espionage efforts by foreign forces. Authorities also detained an executive and two former employees of WPP PLC, one of the world’s biggest advertising companies.
Minister of Sports Lee Yang (李洋) today said the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) has been urged not to undermine Taiwan’s credibility in international competitions, after a Taiwanese team advanced to the semi-finals of the 45th William Jones Cup over the Philippines last week due to a controversial new rule guaranteeing a semi-final place to the host team. The Republic of China Blue team advanced to the semi-finals after winning just one game in the group round due to a “host guarantee” spot, overtaking the Philippines, who held a 5-1 record ahead of the semi-finals. The Blue team finished the tournament
A sea warning for Typhoon Saudel, which has shifted to a more northerly track as it nears Taiwan, is expected early tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. As of this morning, Saudel was about 650km east-northeast of Taipei, moving west-northwest at 12kph with maximum sustained winds of 162kph, CWA data showed. Although Saudel remains a moderate typhoon, it has weakened and is expected to weaken further as it nears Taiwan due to unfavorable atmospheric and ocean conditions, CWA forecaster Lin Po-tung (林伯東) said. The storm is forecast to make its closest approach to Taiwan tomorrow and on Friday, Lin added. According to
SEA WARNING EXPECTED: As atmospheric conditions are unfavorable for its development, the storm’s intensity is continuing to weaken, a CWA official said Typhoon Saudel is continuing to weaken and shift its path northward, with a sea warning expected to be issued this evening, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency did not rule out issuing a land warning for outlying Lienchiang County (Matsu) tomorrow morning, although all storm warnings could be lifted by Friday night. Saudel is expected to be closest to Taiwan from tomorrow night to Friday, bringing localized heavy rain to northern and southern Taiwan, as well as central mountainous areas, the agency said. As of 2pm yesterday, the center of moderate Typhoon Saudel was about 890km east-northeast
MODERATE TYPHOON: Localized heavy rain is forecast to hit central and southern Taiwan, the CWA said, adding that the storm would likely move away on Saturday A sea warning for Typhoon Saudel, which shifted to a more northerly track as it approached Taiwan, is likely early today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the center of typhoon was about 630km northeast of Taipei, moving west-northwest at 14kph with maximum wind gusts of up to 162kph, CWA data showed. Saudel is a moderate typhoon and is expected to weaken as it nears Taiwan due to atmospheric and ocean conditions, CWA forecaster Lin Po-tung (林伯東) said. A sea warning indicates hazardous typhoon conditions in waters surrounding Taiwan within 24 hours, Lin said. The storm is forecast to
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