Foxconn expands west

Foxconn Technology Group, the electronics manufacturing giant, plans to invest and set up plants in the west of China.

The Taiwan-based electronics contract manufacturer will establish themselves in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou, said Terry Gou, Foxconn's chairman, at a press conference on Saturday.

In 2010, Foxconn opened a $2 billion plant in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan province, to manufacture laptop computers, after setting up subsidiaries and plants in provinces including Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Gou said the plants established in inland areas would adopt the most advanced technology and have as little negative influence as possible on the environment.

The leading supplier for Apple, Dell and Sony also promised to set strict standards for treatment process and establish the high-tech industry in the province with minimal waste gas or water discharge.

The investment would also bring more employment to local residents, while attracting those working in neighboring provinces back home, said Gou.

Millions of Chinese migrant workers from the poorer regions of China, mostly from the west, have flooded to the coastal regions to seek better employment opportunities to send money back to their family.

With increasing numbers of manufacturers marching inland to seek lower land and labor costs, growing numbers of migrant workers are returning home to the west and central China.

The investment is believed to further tap the potential of the region, he said.

- Zheng Xin