Chinese police have detained four employees of Taiwanese iPhone maker Foxconn in what Taipei has described as “bizarre” circumstances.
The Taiwanese Mainland Affairs Committee said in a statement that the employees were arrested in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, on charges of “breach of trust.”
The BBC has contacted Foxconn for comment.
The company is the largest maker of iPhones for US technology giant Apple and one of the world’s largest employers, with major manufacturing facilities in China.
Taiwanese authorities have suggested that the arrest may have been an “abuse of power” by Chinese police officers.
He said the incident undermines the trust of companies doing business in China.
In October last year, China’s tax and land authorities investigation Enter the company.
At the time, Foxconn founder Terry Gou was running as an independent candidate for Taiwan’s presidential election.
After China released guidelines in June detailing criminal penalties for people the Chinese government describes as hardcore “Taiwan independence” separatists, Taiwan has warned its citizens against “unwanted travel” to the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau. We urge people to avoid sudden travel.”
Foxconn’s facility in Zhengzhou is the world’s largest iPhone factory, widely known as “iPhone City.”
Although it has been going on for many years, geopolitical rift Foxconn is one of many Taiwanese companies that have built factories in China between Beijing and Taipei.
The Chinese government views the island as a separate province that will eventually become part of the country, and has not ruled out using force to achieve this.
However, while many Taiwanese consider themselves part of a separate nation, most support the status quo, with Taiwan neither declaring independence from nor reunifying with China.
