Jenny Chan is interviewed with The Independent (by ADAM LUCK, 19 Nov 2023)

“Meet the Tech Billionaire Whose Foray into Politics is Stoking Anger in China”

19 Nov 2023

The Independent

by ADAM LUCK

…

Foxconn expert Jenny Chan, a professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said: “If Gou is elected then there will be uncertainty. Xi wants to influence the outcome in the Taiwanese elections and I believe the Chinese government is using the tax problems as an excuse to put pressure on Gou and Foxconn.”

“Foxconn is an icon in economic and political terms and Beijing wants to make sure no one talks about Taiwanese independence. There is concern that the military tension might trigger conflict or at least exacerbate tension across the Taiwan Strait. Therefore, Gou’s candidacy brings into play all these issues at a sensitive strategic moment.”

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Professor Chan believes that Foxconn, like Gou, will require some deft positioning. She said: “Foxconn could never find a better alternative to China as a production base, with a strong consumer market, so it will not suddenly relocate all the manufacturing elsewhere.”

“But Foxconn has been shifting production to southeast Asia, India, and Latin America, and if the political circumstances change Foxconn would not want to rely solely on China. Indeed, for the last 10 years, they have been accelerating the move elsewhere to minimise the risks of being in China.”

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Professor Chan points to an uncomfortable fact that gets lost in this debate. She said: “Will the Chinese government hold Foxconn liable for abuses and exploitation? It appears everything is about political rights rather than workers’ rights. But Apple has also been compromised by these protests. It was revealed that they had disabled tools in China enabling workers to communicate with one another. So, Apple is not as clean and ethical as the image they project.”

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Link to full content : https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/china/china-terry-gou-taiwan-presidential-election-b2449229.html