The world’s largest contract maker of electronics products, including the iPod, lifted its investment in China to more than US$1 billion over the weekend, ensuring users will continue to see low-cost IT products rolling out of the country in coming years.Hon Hai Precision Industry on Saturday unveiled seven new China investment plans that will raise the total value of its China investments to $1.11 billion.The company already owns the largest IT exporter in China, Hong Fujin Precision Industry, which suffered intense media scrutiny earlier this year due to allegations it mistreated workers at an iPod factory. Apple Computer investigated the claims but found little wrong at the site. Although users may not like some of the facts that surfaced about Hon Hai and its Chinese subsidiary, such as that it pays workers about $50 per month to assemble the digital music players, its continuing investment in China is an important factor in continuing to keep the cost of IT products low for users. And for many of the workers at the iPod factory, mainly young women from China’s poorer rural areas, a monthly salary of $50 plus room and board is more than they can earn at home. Hon Hai said it has actually spent $887.6 million of the investment total so far, while planning for the rest of the funds has already been finalized. Hong Fujin exported $14.47 billion worth of IT products from China last year, making it number one in that category, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce.-Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service (Taipei Bureau)Related Links: Why Apple Isn’t Biting Into China Apple Looks Into iPod China Sweatshop Report Apple Finds Few Violations at Chinese iPod FactoryCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content News ServiceNow continues workflow platform expansion with Utah release The company also doubles down on its customer success automation efforts, but bucks the trend by omitting GPT. By Peter Sayer Mar 22, 2023 7 mins CIO Build Automation Enterprise Architecture BrandPost Don’t buy into the hype of network observability to realize digital transformation success Just collect the right data and follow it to where it leads you. By Jeremy Rossbach, Chief Technical Evangelist, Broadcom Mar 22, 2023 3 mins Networking Feature How culture and strategic partnerships help fuel transformation Marc Hale, CTO for AIA New Zealand, recently spoke with Cathy O’Sullivan, editor for CIO New Zealand, about navigating the complexities of digital transformation, and focusing on culture to enable healthier outcomes for customers. By CIO staff Mar 22, 2023 7 mins CTO Digital Transformation Change Management Feature 10 things CIOs wish they knew from the start Go slower. Network. Tell stories. Get training. Be kind. CIOs have plenty of advice they’d give to their younger selves if they could. By Martin Veitch Mar 22, 2023 7 mins CIO Careers IT Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe