The founder of the Chinese company Foxconn – which manufactures the iPhones for Apple – helped to convince the leaders of China to ease the restrictions of the corona virus in the country. This is reported by the “Wall Street Journal”.
This week China announced the relaxation of the strict corona restrictions used in the country since the outbreak of the epidemic in early 2020; This, after several weeks of rare protests, including at a Foxconn factory in the city of Zhengzhou.
According to the report in the Journal, in a letter to China’s leaders sent about a month ago, Foxconn founder Terry Guo wrote that the government’s “zero Covid” policy is a threat to the country’s position in the global production chain. He demanded increased transparency regarding restrictions affecting Foxconn employees.
In October, the Foxconn factory was designated as a closed area due to the corona outbreak, and some workers tried to escape it on foot. The factory continued to operate, albeit partially, which led Apple to reduce the scope of iPhone production in November.
The Journal reported that Gu’s letter – along with the protests – helped convince senior Chinese government officials and health experts in the country to ease the Covid restrictions.
Gu retired from Foxconn in 2019 and currently does not hold an official position – but he still has a lot of influence in the company. He denied the reports.