Sony closed its Beijing smartphone plant in a bid to lower costs and make its handset business profitable from 2020, according to Reuters citing a Sony spokesman. The business is facing a loss of JPY 95 billion (USD 863 million) for the financial year ending in April.
The spokesman said the decision to close the plant has nothing to do with US-Chinese trade tensions but did not mention the number of jobs that will be affected by the closure. The plant's production was halted at the end of March.
Following the closure, Sony's smartphones will only be made by its plant in Thailand and contract manufacturers, the spokesman said.
