Apple China Plant Employees Clash With Guards Over Lockdowns
Hundreds of workers at a technology factory in China clashed with authorities and flooded past isolation barriers after weeks under lockdown, a stunning breakdown in the Communist Party’s efforts to contain Covid-19 infections.
The Shanghai factory, which is owned by Taiwan’s Quanta Computer Inc. and makes devices for Apple Inc. among others, has been operating under tight restrictions since the beginning of April. In a video shared on Twitter and YouTube, workers rushed through barriers and tangled with guards in white protective gear who tried to keep them inside.
Quanta employees confirmed the clash occurred Thursday evening, while the company did not immediately provide comment. One worker said that people are worried about further tightening because there are positive Covid cases on the campus. The government is taking a central role in managing the plant’s operations, said another employee on-site.
The incident underscores the rising challenges for President Xi Jinping’s hardline strategy in containing the pandemic. China has imposed sweeping lockdowns to quarantine the infected and prevent Covid’s spread, an approach that has sparked unusual protests and complaints in the 25-million strong city of Shanghai. The policy has also threatened China’s economy, jeopardizing its ability to reach a target growth rate of 5.5%.
China’s main strategy for minimizing damage to its economy amid the rolling lockdowns is for companies and factories to operate in a “closed loop” system, in which workers live and sleep on-site or in nearby accommodation that they’re shuttled to. This has helped Shanghai restart production at more than 70% of its industrial manufacturing facilities, while 90% of 660 “key” industrial companies have
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