SHENZHEN. The lockdown imposed in Shenzhen, one of China’s largest cities, a technology hub where giants like Huawei and Tencent are based, risks further blocking global supply chains already strained by the pandemic. And today is the news of the suspension of activities in the city by the Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn, the main supplier of Apple.
*** Sign up for the Special Coronavirus newsletter
Shenzhen, a city bordering Hong Kong which is the hub of China’s technology sector and electronic manufacturing industries, has one of the largest ports in the world. The lockdown imposed after 66 people tested positive for Covid will force 17 million inhabitants to stay at home. Only supermarkets, agricultural markets, pharmacies, medical facilities and express delivery services will be allowed to remain open.
Covid, 18 million Chinese in lockdown. Never so many infections from the Wuhan disaster. Here are the causes
GIACOMO GALEAZZI
Only activities essential to daily life, such as markets, pharmacies and medical institutions, can continue to function normally in Shenzhen, while restaurants can only accept orders for delivery. A brake is also provided for travel: it is possible to leave the city only if necessary. The megacity, now a single urban conglomerate with Hong Kong, is home to other major technology companies such as Huawei, Oppo and TCL.
Thus the defeat of Covid turns out to be fragile
Antonella Viola
Shenzhen is the second Chinese manufacturing center for Foxconn after Zhengzhou in Henan province, which is the largest for iPhones in the world, but also has prototype labs developed. Taiwan’s largest printed circuit board manufacturer, Unimicron, a key supplier to the Cupertino house, Intel and Nvidia, said its subsidiary in the Guangdong megalopolis will shut down. The Shanghai city government has urged residents not to leave unless absolutely necessary, while anyone traveling into or out of the city must present a negative nucleic acid test result from the past 48 hours. Bus services between the city and other provinces, such as Anhui, Shandong and Jiangxi, are suspended. Shanghai is China’s most important semiconductor manufacturing center as well as its financial hub.