The largest iPhone manufacturer in the world, Foxconn, has four employees that were held in China under “quite strange” circumstances, according to Taiwan’s authorities.
The four workers were reportedly arrested in Zhengzhou, China, the capital of the Henan province, which is home to a significant Foxconn facility that assembles Apple’s (AAPL) iPhones, on suspicion of the equivalent of a “breach of trust,” according to a statement released by Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council to Reuters on Thursday.
It stated, “The facts of this case are fairly peculiar.”
The council continued without providing any information, saying that the issue may be related to power abuse and corruption by a few number of Chinese security officers.
Foxconn opted not to respond.
Foxconn argued the business had “suffered no losses and that the four employees had done nothing to harm the company’s interests,” according to the council.
“This has significantly eroded businesses’ trust. It said, “We urge pertinent departments across the Taiwan Strait to look into this and address it as quickly as feasible.
After hours, calls to China’s Taiwan Affairs Office for comment were not returned.
In June, the Chinese government threatened to kill individuals considered “diehard” advocates of Taiwan independence, prompting Taiwan’s government to increase its travel advisory for China and advise its nationals not to travel there unless absolutely essential.
The Taipei administration is vehemently opposed to China’s claims of sovereignty over democratically controlled Taiwan.
Since China started its historic economic reforms forty years ago, Taiwanese enterprises have invested billions of dollars in the nation, attracted by reduced prices, a shared language and culture, and more.
