Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times

While many have been focusing on reports saying Chinese mainland tax authorities have conducted inspections of key enterprises of Foxconn, the Taiwan island-based enterprise has received special attention, partly because of the economic clout of the iPhone maker and the personal influence of its founder Terry Gou, who has joined the race for the 2024 elections for Taiwan's regional leader. It's important to note that such special attention does not grant Foxconn special treatment or privileges in the mainland market. More attention from the public always comes with increased social responsibility, and nothing more.

Any enterprise operating in the mainland must comply with Chinese laws, without any exceptions allowed. This applies not only to mainland companies but also to Taiwan island-based or foreign enterprises. Conducting tax inspections and investigating land use of companies suspected of violating regulations are normal market supervision activities, which are reasonable and legal.

Some may still try to interpret these inspections through a political lens, but it is a common consensus that enterprises can only enjoy policy and market benefits by following local laws and respecting the interests of local people. The mainland welcomes Taiwan island-based and foreign companies to invest and do business, but this does not mean they have special privileges to violate regulations and laws.

If Western observers hope to learn something from the inspections of key enterprises of Foxconn, their focus should not be on the so-called political considerations behind the probes, but on the mainland economy, which is of irreplaceable significance to the Taiwan-based iPhone maker. On Monday, Foxconn Industrial Internet, a unit of Foxconn Technology, tumbled by the 10 percent daily limit to 14.55 yuan ($1.99) on Monday in Shanghai. Hon Hai Precision Industry, Foxconn's flagship listed vehicle, also slid 2.9 percent in Taipei, marking its steepest loss in three months. The reaction of the stock markets clearly demonstrates the importance of the mainland market to Foxconn.

Foxconn kicked off operations of a brand new massive factory in Zhoukou, Central China's Henan Province in 2021. This expansion further solidifies the company's already huge presence in the mainland, which stands in stark contrast to its troubled projects in certain Western countries such as the US. The mainland market holds immense importance for Foxconn, and its irreplaceable position in the global industry chain may explain why media reports of tax inspections on the company have made investors in the market nervous. 

If any firm violates regulations or engages in activities detrimental to the Chinese people, it is only logical for mainland authorities to take necessary measures to maintain market order.

It is undeniable that Foxconn, the world's largest maker of computer components, is a huge employer, reportedly employing around 1 million workers in the mainland, but its economic clout is not a protective umbrella. Inspections of key enterprises such as Foxconn reflect Chinese mainland authorities' determination to safeguard the market order.

There have always been forces attempting to smear the business environment in the mainland for ideological or geopolitical reasons. However, neither Western political bias nor dismissive stories in the Western media can blur the real economic benefits the mainland economy has brought to the outside world.

Taiwan island-based companies are encouraged to invest in the mainland. There are moves aiming at deepening cross-Straits integrated development in all fields and advancing the peaceful reunification of the motherland. Just as the island of Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, the regional economy is also inseparable from the mainland's economy. 

Officials in the mainland have also repeatedly stated that the mainland welcomes not only Taiwan island-based companies but also foreign firms to deepen their presence in the vast mainland market, and it will continue to create a first-class business environment that is market-oriented. Inspections of key enterprises of Foxconn should not be used as a tool to smear the economy and the business environment in the mainland.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn