This wave of civil disobedience is unprecedented in mainland China and highlights the growing frustration over the government’s signature zero-Covid policy which has now been in operation for three years.
Protests have been reported in Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Wuhan and Guangzhou and consequently there are concerns that production of electronic components and devices will be badly affected as we go into the crucial Christmas period.
The world’s largest iPhone factory, Foxconn’s plant in Zhengzhou, which employs about 200,000 people, produces the majority of Apple’s new phones, including the new iPhone 14. It has been badly affected by stringent Covid measures, and workers have been complaining about their treatment and provisions via social media. Many workers have fled the plant, disrupting production and its thought that Foxconn could now see more than 30% of the site's November production impacted.
As the protests spread, how will the Chinese authorities respond, and what will that mean for the wider global economy?
