BEIJING, Oct 11 (Reuters) - China's government said on

Friday that employees of Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's

largest iPhone assembler, are being investigated for suspected

taking of bribes and embezzlement, after Taiwan reported their

detention.

Taiwan's government said this week that four Foxconn employees

had been detained in China under "quite strange" circumstances

in China's Zhengzhou, home to a major Foxconn plant assembling

Apple's ( AAPL ) iPhones, on suspicion of the equivalent of

"breach of trust".

China's Taiwan Affairs Office, in a statement to Reuters,

said the Foxconn employees are suspected of crimes including

taking bribes and embezzlement and the investigation is

ongoing. It did not state how many employees were being

investigated.

"The relevant departments are handling the case strictly in

accordance with the law and are protecting their legal rights in

accordance with the law," it added, without elaborating.

Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry ( HNHPF ), has

yet to comment on the case and did not immediately respond to a

further request for comment on the Chinese government statement.

Taiwan's China policymaking Mainland Affairs Council said

this week that Foxconn had stated the company had "suffered no

losses and that the four employees had done nothing to harm the

company's interests".

The case may be connected to corruption and abuse of power

by a small number of Chinese security officials, the council

added, without giving details.

Democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as its

own territory, has repeatedly warned its citizens to be aware of

the potential dangers of visiting the country.

In June, Taiwan's government raised its travel warning for

China, telling its citizens not to go unless absolutely

necessary, following a threat from Beijing to execute those

deemed "diehard" Taiwan independence supporters.

Taiwanese businesses have invested billions of dollars in

China since the country began landmark economic reforms four

decades ago, drawn by a common culture and language and much

lower costs.