Workers remove the blocks around an Apple store on Fifth Avenue during the Phase one reopening in New York, the United States, June 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Chinese netizens have called for Apple to move manufacturing back to China after an Indian iPhone factory was attacked by riots on Saturday for wages issues, based on videos posted online and local news reports. 

The violence broke out at a plant run by Wistron Corporation, a Chinese Taiwan-based iPhone manufacturer in India. Videos showed crowds of people smashing factory windows and setting flipped-over cars on fire.

About 2,000 employees were involved in the riots following an announcement of pay cuts, the Times of India reported, citing sources.

Wistron Corporation denied this claim, responding that the strike was not instigated by employees and blaming an unidentified outside group. Due to the poor local security situation in India, Wistron's factory was an obvious target for attacks. 

Following the video surfacing on social media, Chinese netizens called for Apple to choose China as its main manufacturing hub.

"Factories in China are safest to invest in. The probability of smashing and burning in China is extremely low," commented a Chinese netizen named as ilife on Sina-Weibo.

"Move to China, China welcomes you!" said another Chinese netizen named as fangchunchun.

Experts said that low productivity levels in India and violence as well as the severe pandemic situation would hinder India's manufacturing capacity, disrupting the iPhone supply chain, so many believe that companies will choose to return to China. 

Although India on the surface offers low labor costs, the production capacity, efficiency and quality of manufacturing output is low, Liu Dingding, a Beijing-based independent analyst told the Global Times on Monday.

"Many companies which have tried to diversify away from China are moving their manufacturing industry chain back. Although the cost has increased, the efficiency has also increased. In the long run it is cost-effective for companies," Liu said, adding the return of the industrial production to China is an inevitable trend.