Apple supplier Foxconn forced to shut Vietnam factory due to protests

AppleInsider

Apple's chief manufacturing partner, Foxconn, has been forced to shut down its operations in Vietnam for three days due to anti-China protests over oil drilling.

China recently started drilling for oil near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, a chain of islands controlled by the People's Republic of China, but claimed by Vietnam as well as Taiwan. Dispute over ownership of the islands has prompted protesters in Vietnam to ransack factories near Ho Chi Minh City.

Violence already forced manufacturers associated with shoemakers Nike and Adidas, as well as Walmart, to halt productions. And now, as a cautionary measure, Foxconn has done the same, according to the Financial Times.

In a statement, Foxconn said it has done so to "ensure the safety" of its employees. Foxconn workers in Vietnam have been instructed to take a three-day leave of absence starting Saturday.

At least 21 people are said to have been killed thus far in the violence.

Foxconn is Apple's chief supplier and assembler, responsible for the lion's share of production of devices like the iPhone and iPad. It's unknown how much of Foxconn's Apple-related production is accomplished in Vietnam.

zeromeus

China needs to get the h*ll out of Vietnam! How dare they invade Vietnam's waters and steal Vietnam's property. I don't support violence, but what's happening in the past decade where China decides to steal the paracel islands from Vietnam had prompted many Vietnamese from both the homeland and overseas to protest. I'm glad the citizens are finally doing something about it. It's time the Chinese get their greedy rear end out of Vietnam and leave its people alone.

zeromeus

Please help the people of this small country protect its territory...  https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/put-sanctions-china-invading-vietnam-territory-deployment-oil-rig-haiyang-981/p2b7Rnnv

digital_guy

Wow, I could see this one coming. Just knew that the ugly head of politics, and not without bias, would find its way into the comments.

"Please help the people of this small country protect its territory... "

The Americans have already tragically heeded a similar plea for help once before, and at great cost, beginning in the early 1960s. Part of me wants to say, "not this time".

greginprague

Shouldn't the last sentence read, "It's unknown IF ANY of Foxconn's Apple-related production is accomplished in Vietnam."

As written it's deceptively implying that at least some production for Apple is affected by this factory closure which isn't publicly known at all.

fake_william_shatner

This is protests about oil drilling -- and it likely spilled over to disrupt more than FoxConn.

 

FoxConn has .9 million workers and they manufacture electronics for almost everyone. How does Apple own everything that is going down in that country now?

 

The next Flu virus will of course be involved with the iPhone 6. When will Apple stop?

gatorguy

greginprague wrote: »

Shouldn't the last sentence read, "It's unknown IF ANY of Foxconn's Apple-related production is accomplished in Vietnam."

As written it's deceptively implying that at least some production for Apple is affected by this factory closure which isn't publicly known at all.

"Apple data shows that the world's largest contract maker of electronic goods (Foxconn/Hon-Hai) runs a production and assembly line for Apple products in Bac Giagn Province in northern Vietnam."
http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aeco/201405160024.aspx
http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/02/purported-redesigned-apple-earbuds-leaked-in-vietnam/

This is a pretty cool interactive map showing the purported factory locations for Apple products.
https://www.chinafile.com/Who-Supplies-Apple-Its-Not-Just-China-Interactive-Map

elijahg

digital_guy wrote: »

Wow, I could see this one coming. Just knew that the ugly head of politics, and not without bias, would find its way into the comments.

Where are the "ugly" / "biased" comments? All I see are a few posts trying to defend their county from China's land grab. Hasn't China got enough land already?!

stargazerct

If it's unknown how much of Apple's production is done at this plant, then why are you tying Apple's name to the location without verifying facts first? Clicks, perhaps? Sad, really sad you have to go that far to get someone interested in a story%u2026in fact, I'll call it deceitful.

I'm sure comments of how Apple is to blame for the riots are to follow shortly.

joogabah

Why do people identify so passionately with abstractions like nations? Are Americans geniuinely concerned with something that likely has no impact at all on ordinary people's lives in either country or is this just more propaganda from American interests trying to influence public opinion for their own concealed reasons?

gatorguy

stargazerct wrote: »

I'm sure comments of how Apple is to blame for the riots are to follow shortly.

Oil-drilling by Chinese companies is to blame for the rioting.

pmz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digital_Guy 



Wow, I could see this one coming. Just knew that the ugly head of politics, and not without bias, would find its way into the comments.



"Please help the people of this small country protect its territory... "



The Americans have already tragically heeded a similar plea for help once before, and at great cost, beginning in the early 1960s. Part of me wants to say, "not this time".

LMAO. Amazing and yet embarrassing at the same time that there are some people who believe that American involvement in any conflict, let alone Vietnam, is ever part of a response to a "tragic plea for help"

 

What staggering ignorance and naivety. 

stargazerct

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatorguy 





Oil-drilling by Chinese companies is to blame for the rioting.

yes, I read the article. I was being facetious.

layng

Isn't Hon-Hai based in Taiwan and not mainland China? Taiwan is not doing the drilling.

zeromeus

Quote:

Originally Posted by layng 



Isn't Hon-Hai based in Taiwan and not mainland China? Taiwan is not doing the drilling.

The problem here is that the people attack ALL businesses with Chinese characters on any factory, shop, store, whatever exists in Vietnam with Chinese characters in their business name.  This protest basically is a huge cry from the Vietnamese to tell China that they no longer need to put up with this greed.

 

Unfortunately, Taiwan uses Chinese, therefore, they become an unfortunate target.  The other issue is that Taiwan also tried to claim the same area...

suddenly newton

greginprague wrote: »

Shouldn't the last sentence read, "It's unknown IF ANY of Foxconn's Apple-related production is accomplished in Vietnam."

As written it's deceptively implying that at least some production for Apple is affected by this factory closure which isn't publicly known at all.

All Foxconn problems automatically become Apple problems in the press, even though Foxconn manufactures for lots of tech companies.

teaearlegreyhot

Quote:

Originally Posted by layng 



Isn't Hon-Hai based in Taiwan and not mainland China? Taiwan is not doing the drilling.

 

"One China" principle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_China_Principle

teaearlegreyhot

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digital_Guy 



The Americans have already tragically heeded a similar plea for help once before, and at great cost, beginning in the early 1960s. Part of me wants to say, "not this time".

 

The "mind your own business" and the "appeasement doesn't work" perspectives are both legitimate, if diametrically opposed in their extremes.  Somehow, even-minded people must find a way to bear witness to injustices, and yet keep an eye to both sides of an issue.  These are huge problems, and can't possibly be solved in the comments section of a web story from a technology site.  So let's just accept the story and ask how this affects Apple, rather than getting involved in the dispute ourselves. Thank you.

gatorguy

zeromeus wrote: »

The problem here is that the people attack ALL businesses with Chinese characters on any factory, shop, store, whatever exists in Vietnam with Chinese characters in their business name.  This protest basically is a huge cry from the Vietnamese to tell China that they no longer need to put up with this greed.

Unfortunately, Taiwan uses Chinese, therefore, they become an unfortunate target.  The other issue is that Taiwan also tried to claim the same area...

This explains what the riots are prompted by. Companies from not only Mainland China but also Malaysia, Taiwan and others are attracting attacks.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101674053

water cooler

Vietnam has been drilling, China has been drilling...heck, why do we get involved in another Vietnam war with China to protect Apple as some of you have suggested?

greginprague

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatorguy 





"Apple data shows that the world's largest contract maker of electronic goods (Foxconn/Hon-Hai) runs a production and assembly line for Apple products in Bac Giagn Province in northern Vietnam."

http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aeco/201405160024.aspx

http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/02/purported-redesigned-apple-earbuds-leaked-in-vietnam/



This is a pretty cool interactive map showing the purported factory locations for Apple products.

https://www.chinafile.com/Who-Supplies-Apple-Its-Not-Just-China-Interactive-Map

 

1. Nothing that you posted invalidates my statement that you were replying to in any way.  Everything is simply purported, guessed, suspected.  

2.  Focus Taiwan??  Seriously? And of course in their "article" they don't given any evidence of this "Apple data."