Foxconn shuts down manufacturing sites in Vietnam due to protests

The Vietnamese protesters are angry about China’s deployment of an oil rig into waters that both countries claim as sovereign territory. Protesters were torching factories in a southern Vietnamese industrial park this week, with reports saying that Chinese firms were targeted but other foreign-owned businesses also suffered damage. Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer best known for producing Apple iPhones and iPads, confirmed that it would shut operations for the next three days. “Foxconn has taken measures to ensure the safety of our employees following recent developments in Vietnam,” the company said in a statement. Relations between China and Vietnam soured last week when a Chinese platform began drilling for oil near the Paracel Islands, which are also called the Xisha Islands by China.