Foxconn breaks ground on new plant in US Wisconsin

CHICAGO - Electronics manufacturer Foxconn broke ground on a massive display-screen producing complex in the US state of Wisconsin on Thursday, with the participation of President Donald Trump.

Foxconn's Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park with an investment up to $10 billion project is supposed to be an evidence for the manufacturing revival fueled by Trump's "America First" agenda.

However, a recent announcement by motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson, also based in Wisconsin, revealed that it plans to move some production overseas to avoid retaliatory tariffs from the European Union.

The unexpected and ironic consequences prompted Trump, who has increasingly resorted to protectionist measures against key trade partners including the EU and China, to call upon Harley-Davidson again on Thursday to keep its production in the United States.

Speaking at the ceremony, Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou said the project will create 13,000 "high tech, high paying and high potential" jobs to Wisconsin and the United States.

In return, state and local governments have agreed to support the project with billions of US dollars in tax breaks and other incentives.

According to a memorandum signed in 2017, the construction of the first phase facility will be completed over an approximate six years, commencing in 2018. The 22 million square feet (about 2 million square meters) complex, is poised to be one of the largest of its kind in North America.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is seeking re-election later this year and has been showing the Foxconn project as a sign of a strong local economy.

Foxconn is the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer, and is most notable for assembling iPhones in China. Its Wisconsin plant will produce displays used in a wide range of devices and solutions, from televisions to self-driving cars, and aircraft systems.