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A pedestrian walks past an Apple retail store in Shenzhen. In recent months, Apple has resumed sending some U.S. employees to China to meet with its manufacturing partners. Photo: Associated Press

Apple’s U.S. Staff Return to China, Encouraged by Cash Bonuses

Photo: A pedestrian walks past an Apple retail store in Shenzhen. In recent months, Apple has resumed sending some U.S. employees to China to meet with its manufacturing partners. Photo: Associated Press

A longstanding corporate road warrior is returning to China: the Apple employee.

In recent months, Apple has resumed flying U.S. employees to China to work with the manufacturers that make most of its iPhones, Macs and iPads, according to seven current and former Apple employees and people working for its partners. These voluntary visits, which now typically last at least six weeks and include a two-week stay in a quarantine hotel negotiated by Apple and the local Shanghai government, come with an incentive: up to $500 a day in addition to the normal daily expense for business travel, according to two of these people.

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