‘Foxconn won’t pull out of China’

Apple supplier Foxconn Technology Group – also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry – has issued a statement vehemently denying any intention to pull its production facilities out of China.

“None of the reports speculating our withdrawal from China are true,” said the statement released on June 17. “There are no disruptions to our supply lines, and we plan on maintaining close ties with China.”

Foxconn’s comments come amid reports that major Taiwanese suppliers for Apple may be relocating to other areas such as Southeast Asia in the aftermath of a prolonged trade war between the US and China.

The California-based tech firm was recently reported to have asked its top suppliers in China to evaluate the costs of relocating their production capacities to outside the country. The California-based tech company has been worrying over the side-effects of its heavy reliance on China for a while now.

Adding fuel the speculations, Foxconn has been actively building plants in India and the US, not to mention that key executives have been hinting at moving out of China.

In a recent interview, Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou urged Apple to move out of China to Taiwan.

Critics interpreted the remarks to be irresponsible, while political analysts say the chairman may be trying to rise in ratings as Gou has resigned from chairman of Foxconn to run the race to become the Taiwanese president.

On June 11, another Foxconn executive Young Liu, said that the firm is capable of producing all US-bound iPhones outside of China. He also said Foxconn is ready, should Apple call for its supply lines to be taken outside of China. He highlighted that Foxconn has production facilities in 16 countries and regions, along with R&D centers in four countries, all outside of China. .

Below is a copy of the Foxconn statement.

June 17, 2019

We at Foxconn Technology Group hereby address the recent rumors about our possible pullout from China.

一. The rumors are untrue. All of Foxconn’s Chinese production lines are operating on schedule, with no disruptions. We are not showing any signs of withdrawal.

二. Foxconn maintains a corporate philosophy designed to highlight the values of stability, sustainability, growth potential, science technology and globalization. Based on these beliefs, Foxconn has been investing in China and growing with it over the past 31 years since 1988. We hope to maintain such ties with China, while pursuing solid mutual growth.

三. Foxconn perceives its Chinese employees as invaluable assets. Our goal is to nurture a young, healthy and localized workforce that comes hand in hand with our innovations towards cloud, mobile, IOT, big data, networks and robots. We will keep nurturing Chinese industrial talent.

四. Several different media outlets have been circulating malicious rumors about Foxconn. We will consider taking legal action to protect our rights.