Foxconn: We wish “Steve Jobs well”, expect Apple to “perform well in the future”

9to5 Staff | Aug 25 2011 - 5:33 am PT

Interesting that Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn, issued a statement regarding Steve Jobs’ resignation from his CEO post at Apple. The Asian company wrote in a short email statement to Bloomberg:

Foxconn wishes Steve Jobs will get well. We think Tim Cook has shown good work as stand- in CEO during Jobs’s absences and expect Apple will perform well in the future. The relationship between Cook and Foxconn has been very close and we expect that the relationship will become even closer in future.

Asian companies are traditionally tight-lipped and shy away from commenting on their partners’ business dealings so it’s a bit surprising Foxconn would put out a statement, let alone touch on the subject of Steve Jobs well-being. On the other hand, Foxconn is Apple’s largest contract manufacturer and as such has been instrumental in ramping up manufacturing to meet the growing demand for Apple’s gadgets around the globe.

The two companies contributed to each other’s successes in ways more than one and not even the controversial iPhone and iPad sweatshops could tarnish the Apple brand. As a matter of fact, that business pact is about to grow even stronger as Foxconn will reportedly spend $1.6 billion on retail stores to sell Apple’s products in China, where Apple’s revenues rose sixfold, topping $3.8 billion in the June quarter.

Terry Gou, Foxconn founder, owner and chairman, was previously quoted as saying that Apple’s products are “very difficult” to manufacture, saying his company “helped Apple make a lot of money”. And after a June shareholder meeting, Gou told journalists he likened Steve Jobs to a “weiren”, the Chinese term for a great man otherwise rarely used to describe living people…

Bloomberg originally reported that even though Jobs had been weak and housebound for the last few weeks, “the resignation was not indicative of a sudden worsening”. Jobs’ newly assumed role of the chairman of the board of Apple certainly reinforces the claim. Furthermore, an anonymous source told the publication that Jobs worked a full day at Apple’s Cupertino headquarters on resignation day:

The day of the announcement, Jobs was in Apple’s Cupertino, California office for the entire work day, and he attended a regularly scheduled board meeting, according to a person close to Jobs, who was not authorized to speak about the executive’s health

Another person ‘familiar with the matter’ asserted Jobs “held an emotional meeting with his executive team” following the official announcement. He“intends to be an active chairman”, Jobs allegedly told the board.