Electronics manufacturer Foxconn has confirmed that the plant will shift some of its production lines from Shenzhen to interior China, a Taiwan newspaper reported Sunday.

Hon Hai Precision, Taiwan's leading manufacturing enterprise, announced on Saturday it would renew a plan to float US$1-billion in euro-convertible bonds.

Besides the bonds, the board also passed some US$64-million of production of handsets, tablet PCs and digital set-top boxes to the Chinese mainland, The China Post reported.

Between January and May 2010, a dozen Foxconn employees attempted suicide - with 10 deaths - focusing criticism on the plant over its long working hours, low pay and harsh management methods, including physical abuse.

Chief financial officer of Hon Hai, Huang Chiu-lien, was confident that Hon Hai could cut the cost by replacing human labor with automated production management, and said the company would talk about the possibility of raising production prices with its clients.

Edmund Ding, a spokesman for Hon Hai, said the management board would soon submit its first investment plan in Henan and Sichun to local authorities.

Also, Hon Hai was planning to shift its assembly line for printed circuit boards to Hebei province, its photo-electricity line to Shanxi province and its mobile phone production to Hebei.

(China Daily July 26, 2010)