Amid Foxconn probe, China tells Taiwan firms to play positive role in ties

Beijing: Taiwanese companies should assume their social responsibilities and play a “positive role” in promoting the peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait, China’s government said on Wednesday, amid a probe into major Apple supplier Foxconn.

China’s tax and land use investigations into Foxconn’s operations there have been seized on by the frontrunner to be Taiwan’s next president as an example of Chinese election interference and placing undue pressure on Taiwanese corporates who have invested billions into China.

The Chinese government has not officially confirmed the investigations, first reported by nationalistic, state-backed tabloid the Global Times on Sunday.