The Taiwanese company, Foxconn, the world’s largest manufacturer of electronic devices, is facing a tax probe by the Chinese government over the use of land.
The company manufactures nearly all iPhones in a massive facility in the Zhengzhou Technology Park in the Henan province of China.
In addition, Foxconn maintains 12 other factories in China where it produces everything from Nintendo, Game Cube, Playstation, Xbox, Google Pixel, and many other devices.
The tax audit was announced via the Chinese state-run newspaper, Global Times.
While the details of the audit have not been acknowledged by either the Chinese government or Foxconn, there has been widespread discussion about the political aspects of the audit.
The island nation of Taiwan, which sits off the coast of China, has been independent of China since 1945.
In recent years, China has attempted to exert increased control over the democratically run country.
There are two political points of view in Taiwan: an independence movement that seeks to remove all ties with China, and a unification movement that seeks to reunite Taiwan with mainland China.
The US has pushed back against Chinese influence and both countries have flexed their muscles and huge navies off the coasts of the island.
Complicating matters is the fact that former CEO and Founder of Foxconn, Terry Gou, resigned from his role with the company to run for President of Taiwan in 2019.
He lost that election but is running again in an election that will take place in January of 2024 to replace current president Tsai Ing-wen, who is ineligible to run again.
Gou supports the independence side and very well may split the opposition vote and potentially ensure a victory for current Vice President Lai Ching-te who is already in the lead.
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