Several major Chinese cities are experiencing Covid outbreaks, with the country recording its highest number of daily cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

Wednesday saw 31,527 cases recorded. This trumps the previous April peak of 28,000.

Capital Beijing, southern trade hub Guangzhou, and iPhone city Zhengzhou, are all experiencing outbreaks.

Zhengzhou is under lock down from today, with its six million residents forced to stay within city limits. Many other cities will close shops, schools and restaurants.

This all creates further uncertainty in global supply chains.

Meanwhile, workers at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant are being paid the equivalent of A$295 as an incentive to leave peacefully, after riots broke out at the locked down plant.

Foxconn has explained this payment, made it two halves, is an effort to appease workers who travelled from afar after being recruited by the Chinese government, only to riot when conditions weren’t as promised.

A “technical error” in Foxconn’s payment system has been blamed for much of the anger that led to the riot.

Foxconn had previously offered bonuses to inventive new workers to the factory.

Apple has already been forced to lower its iPhone sales expectations for the upcoming holiday season by 5 per cent as weakened production continues at the Foxconn factory.

Shipments of the iPhone Pro and Pro Max are down six million for the current quarter, from the expected 85 million to just 79 million.

Yesterday, Best Buy warned of an iPhone 14 Pro shortage in the lead up to Black Friday/Cyber Monday.