India's 2024 Lotus Medal award list was announced. Foxconn Group CEO Liu Yangwei was awarded the second-class Lotus Medal, becoming the second Chinese to win the medal in history after Ji Xianlin in 2008, and the first Taiwanese to win this honor. According to Indian media reports, the main reason for Liu Yangwei’s award was to promote Foxconn Group’s establishment of an electronic equipment assembly plant in India.
According to Indian media reports, the Lotus Medal Liu Yangwei received this time is equivalent to India’s third-level civil honor award. Indian Prime Minister Modi will award awards to the winners later this year. India's "First Post" believes that awarding this honor to Liu Yangwei demonstrates India's ambition to build an electronic information manufacturing base and "sends a strong signal" to China.
According to a report by India Today, Foxconn currently has a large assembly plant in Tamil Nadu on the southern coast of India that can accommodate more than 35,000 employees. The main order is to assemble Apple mobile phones.
In March 2023, Liu Yangwei met with Modi during his visit to India and promised to develop broader business in India. In particular, it plans to build a semiconductor factory in Modi’s hometown of Gujarat with Indian partners, with a total investment of US$19.5 billion. However, Foxconn India announced in July last year that it would withdraw from the plan because the Indian government refused to approve previously promised investment incentives. The incident aroused widespread public attention in India. Foxconn stated that the divestment will not affect Foxconn's further expansion of operations in India.
In August last year, Foxconn India announced that it would invest US$350 million in Karnataka to build a factory to manufacture Apple mobile phone parts, which is expected to create more than 12,000 jobs. In addition, Foxconn also plans to invest US$250 million to expand chip-related manufacturing industries. Both projects have been approved by the Indian government to provide investment incentives. In September 2023, the general representative of Foxconn India sent a public birthday congratulations letter to Modi. The letter stated that the company will expand its operations in India in the next few years and double the number of employees it employs in India.
The Padma Shri is one of India's most important national honors. India's highest national honor is the "Indian National Treasure Medal". Since its establishment in 1954, only 49 people have received this honor; the Padma Medal is awarded every year and is divided into three categories: Padma Medal, Padma Medal and Padma Shri. This year, 5, 17 and 110 people have won the award respectively. Ji Xianlin received the second-class Lotus Medal in 2008 for his contribution to Sanskrit research.