日本語
한국어
Tiếng Việt
简体中文
Former President Donald Trump has reportedly requested Apple CEO Tim Cook to reconsider the company’s increasing iPhone manufacturing presence in India, potentially throwing a wrench into Apple’s strategy to diversify its production away from China.
According to Bloomberg, Trump addressed the issue during a state visit to Qatar, stating, “I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday. He is building all over India.”
Trump elaborated on his conversation with Cook, claiming India had offered Apple a tariff-free deal. He stated, “They [India] have offered us a deal where basically they have agreed to charge us literally no tariffs. I said ‘Tim, we are treating you really good, we put up with all the plants you built in China for years. We are not interested in you building in India. India can take care of themselves’.”
Trump further suggested that Apple would subsequently “up their production in the United States” following their discussion.
Apple’s iPhone production in India reached an impressive $22 billion in the fiscal year ending in March, marking a substantial 60% increase year-over-year. These comments introduce uncertainty into Apple’s plans to import a majority of iPhones destined for the U.S. from India by the end of the following year.
The move away from China by Apple and its manufacturing partners has gained momentum recently. Initial disruptions caused by COVID-related restrictions were compounded by ongoing tensions between the U.S. and China, exacerbated by Trump’s fluctuating tariff policies.
Currently, Foxconn’s facility in southern India is the primary site for iPhone assembly. The Tata Group’s electronics manufacturing division, which took over Wistron’s local operations and oversees Pegatron’s activities in India, also plays a significant role as a major supplier.
During a recent earnings call, Cook addressed the future of the supply chain, noting, “What we learned some time ago, having everything in one location had too much risk with it. We have, over time, with certain parts of the supply chain, opened up new sources of supply. You could see that kind of thing continuing in the future.”
Cook also emphasized Apple’s ongoing investments within the United States during the same call, highlighting plans to allocate $500 billion over the next four years and expand facilities across multiple states, including a new advanced server manufacturing plant slated to open in Texas later this year.
Tags: India, Tim Cook, iPhone Manufacturing, Apple, Donald Trump