China’s Zero-COVID policy has left the world’s largest iPhone factory short on staff, but the Chinese government has a solution: military veterans.
As the BBC reports(Opens in a new window), the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of the People’s Republic of China posted an open letter on WeChat telling military veterans to “answer the government’s call” and help out with production. In other words, veterans should go and help make iPhones. The Bureau also points out in the letter that veterans remain “under the command of the Communist Party,” suggesting this isn’t simply a suggestion being made to those who served.
The world’s largest iPhone factory is owned and operated by Foxconn and located in the city of Zhengzhou. Back in May it was forced to suspend recruitment due to new COVID-19 cases, then last month the factory braced for a fresh outbreak. Subsequently, the strict restrictions imposed to try and limit the spread of the virus resulted in thousands of workers fleeing the campus.
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This is a factory where around 300,000 people work, but it’s now thought to be looking for 10,000 workers to help it get back to full production. It’s unclear if China has enough military veterans to fill that many roles, or if they are healthy enough to stand working long hours in a factory every day. The government could instead look to its active military personnel, of which there are around 165,000.
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