TAIPEI (REUTERS) - Roughly half of Taiwanese companies that had previously suspended work in China due to Covid-19 control measures have resumed production as curbs ease, the island's economy minister said on Thursday (May 19).

Shanghai and neighbouring Kunshan, a hub for Taiwanese electronics makers including Apple supplier Quanta Computer, last month imposed stringent lockdowns to control the country's biggest Covid-19 outbreak.

After managing to bring community transmission down to zero, Shanghai has begun reopening and is aiming for normal life to fully resume by June.

"The resumption rate now is at about 50 per cent. If everything goes well, we are hoping for a full resumption in June," Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua told reporters in Taipei.

She added that companies were still facing problems such as supply chain bottlenecks and logistics issues and that the situation could change depending on China's pandemic prevention policies.