Drought roiling China’s already evaporating economy
The recent crisis in China's global supply chain is caused by heat and drought, with a factory in southwestern Sichuan shutting down on Thursday. Overseas manufacturers such as Apple, Toyota and Chinese solar power producers will close their doors for six days and resume production on Sunday. However, top local companies closed their factories on Sunday due to bad weather. About 16,500 jobs were affected in Sichuan province as a result of the shutdown. Some Chinese media said the problem could lead to factory shutdowns in industrial cities on the east coast, but scientists believe a nationwide blackout will not be repeated in September. Over the past two decades, China has developed hydro, wind and solar power in the western region to provide cheap electricity to industrial cities in the eastern region. Sichuan province, located on the banks of the Yangtze River, with about 1,400 outlets, has built several hydroelectric plants that provide 80 percent of the electricity needed and