Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn is under tax and land use investigations at several of its sites in China, state media reported on October 22, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn is under tax and land use investigations at several of its sites in China, state media reported on October 22.

Chinese authorities are inspecting Foxconn’s sites in southern Guangdong province and Jiangsu in the east, as well as carrying out on-site investigations into the company’s land use in central Hunan and Hubei provinces, China’s state-run Global Times reported.

The newspaper did not specify what authorities are looking into, nor any offences that Foxconn may have committed.

“Compliance with the law is a basic principle for our group worldwide,” Foxconn said in a statement on October 22

“We will actively cooperate with the relevant (authorities) for the operations concerned,” it added, without providing further details.

Foxconn is one of the world’s largest contract producers of electronics, and is a key supplier for Apple’s iPhones.

It is also China’s largest private-sector employer, with more than a million employees nationwide.

The investigation comes two-and-a-half months before presidential elections in self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its territory and has vowed to take one day.

Foxconn’s founder, billionaire Terry Gou, has cut ties with the firm to focus on his long-shot bid to run as an independent candidate in Taiwan’s January 2024 elections.

The 72-year-old failed to become the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party’s nominee in 2019 and analysts say he has only a slim chance of winning.

Critics have alleged that Mr. Gou has a cosy relationship with the Chinese leadership, although Mr. Gou says he can bring peace between Taipei and Beijing.

Taipei:

Terry Gou, the founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, resigned as a company board member, the Taiwanese firm said on Saturday.

After months of speculation, Gou, who stepped down as Foxconn’s chairman in 2019, announced on Monday he would contest as an independent candidate in a presidential election to be held in January.

In a brief statement, Foxconn said Terry Gou had resigned due to “personal reasons”, and noted he had “officially handed over leadership of the group to a professional manager four years ago”.

Terry Gou’s campaign team declined to comment.

On the issue of conflict of interest with Terry Gou being a major shareholder of Foxconn, which has massive investment in China, Gou said he’s willing to “sacrifice” his personal assets in China in the event of a Chinese attack.

“I have never been under the control of the People’s Republic of China,” he said. “I don’t follow their instructions.”

Terry Gou is the fourth person to throw his hat in the ring, but his poll numbers before his announcement put him well behind the front-runner, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) William Lai, who is currently vice president.

He has repeatedly accused the DPP of courting war with China, which claims the island as its own territory, with an antagonistic stance towards Beijing.

The DPP-led government, and Lai, have repeatedly offered talks with China but been rebuffed, as Beijing views them as separatists.

Terry Gou has this week been trying to unify the opposition against the DPP, but so far no agreements have been reached.

The other two candidates are former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je of the small Taiwan People’s Party, and Hou Yu-ih of Taiwan’s main opposition party the Kuomintang which traditionally favours close ties with Beijing.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Terry Gou stated Taiwan additionally wishes brandnew approaches at the economic system and alternative issues at house. 
| Picture Credit score: Reuters

Terry Gou, the billionaire founding father of the electronics vast Foxconn, declared Monday that he’s going to run as an free candidate for president in Taiwan’s 2024 election, finishing months of hypothesis.

At a information convention, Mr. Gou criticised the governing Democratic Aspiring Birthday celebration, pronouncing its insurance policies have “brought Taiwan into the risk of war” with China, which claims the self-ruled island self-government as a part of its space.

He stated Taiwan additionally wishes brandnew approaches at the economic system and alternative issues at house. “Domestically, the national policy direction is filled with all sorts of mistakes. There’s no way to solve the difficulties of Taiwanese industry and people’s livelihoods,” he stated.

Mr. Gou’s Foxconn, officially referred to as Hon Hai Precision Trade Co., is a big provider to Apple and has factories in China.

He has lengthy had presidential aspirations. He ran within the 2019 election however misplaced as Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Aspiring Birthday celebration simply received re-election.

This while round, Mr. Gou first of all desired to transform the candidate for the Kuomingtang, the opposition birthday party this is pleasant to China. Then again, the birthday party decided on Fresh Taipei Town Mayor Hou Yu-ih as its candidate.

Mr. Gou stated he felt he has one thing to give a contribution at the problems that subject to Taiwan’s population.

“I have not seen substantive discussions of policy recently, especially on the topics of cross straits relations (with China), economic development or international relations … ,” he stated.

Mr. Gou stated he would paintings as president for Taiwanese population’s solidarity, as a result of solidarity was once vital to Taiwan’s week.