China’s ‘iPhone city’ under COVID-19 lockdown after violent clashes

The lockdown in Zhengzhou follows clashes between police and protesters over conditions and pay at Foxconn's iPhone factory

Six million people were on Friday under Covid lockdown in a Chinese city home to the world's largest iPhone factory, after clashes between police and workers furious over pay.

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Authorities have ordered residents of eight districts in Zhengzhou, in the central province of Henan, not to leave the area for the next five days, setting up barriers around "high-risk" apartment buildings and checkpoints to restrict travel.

There have been only a handful of coronavirus cases in the city but under China's zero-Covid policy even tiny outbreaks can spark gruelling lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing.

The lockdown in Zhengzhou follows protests by hundreds of employees over conditions and pay at Foxconn's vast iPhone factory on the outskirts of the city, with images of fresh rallies emerging Friday.

Footage published on social media and geolocated by AFP showed a large group of people walking down a street in the east of the city, some holding signs.

"So many people," a man can be heard saying. AFP was unable to verify precisely when the protests took place.