Four Taiwanese employees of Apple supplier Foxconn have been detained in China since January for the equivalent of “breach of trust”, according to reports from Taiwan’s national news agency. The workers were reportedly arrested in Zhengzhou, where Foxconn’s largest iPhone factory is located, by the local public security bureau. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) stated that the employees had not harmed the company’s interests and suggested that corruption and abuse of power by local police officers may be involved.
The case has raised concerns about the risks facing Taiwanese individuals living and working in China, with recent incidents including the sentencing of a Taiwanese independence activist to nine years in prison for secession and the detention of an executive from Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics. The MAC has urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to China, Hong Kong, and Macau due to strict national security and anti-espionage laws.
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau revealed that over the past year, 15 citizens have been detained or put on trial in China, while 51 have been interrogated at the border. Chinese authorities consider Taiwanese to be Chinese citizens and do not recognize dual citizenship. The number of Taiwanese living and working in China has declined in recent years, coinciding with a deterioration in relations between Beijing and Taipei since the Democratic Progressive Party took power in 2016.
The case of the detained Foxconn employees underscores the challenges faced by Taiwanese individuals in China and highlights the complexities of the cross-strait relationship between Taiwan and mainland China. It remains to be seen how this incident will impact future interactions between the two sides.
Source
Photo credit www.aljazeera.com