Missile-defence crisis hits Hyundai as China sales plunge

Hong Kong

AT A factory in north-east China making Hyundai cars, employees aren't sure from one day to the next whether their workplace will be open. Chinese buyers are shunning the carmaker because of political tensions over a missile-defence system, with sales plunging 64 per cent in the aftermath.

The plant in Cangzhou closed multiple times in the past six months, said a worker who doesn't want to be identified for fear of losing his job. Assembly lines shut for a week in August, then resumed operations for a day before closing again, he said. Another stoppage occurred this month.