Trump Opposes Apple’s Manufacturing Expansion in India
President Donald Trump has been opposed to Apple’s plans to grow manufacturing in India. In response, he says he told CEO Tim Cook that he doesn’t support the company building facilities outside the United States other than to serve local markets. At a conference for business leaders from the US and Qatar, Trump told of his conversation with Cook. “I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday. I said, ‘Tim you’re my friend, I’ve treated you very good, you’re coming here (in the US) with a $500 billion announcement, and now I hear you’re building all over India. I don’t want you building in India. You can build in India if you want to take care of India, because India is one of the highest tariff nations in the world.’
Read Also: IAEA Dismisses Claims of Nuclear Leak in Pakistan’s Kirana Hills
The remarks come at a crucial moment, given that Apple recently publicly announced that it would be producing most iPhones headed for the US in India for the current quarter. The company plans to move about 25% of the total iPhone production to India in the next several years, weaning itself off Chinese dependency.
Trump also alleged that India promised to “drop all tariffs” on the US; “one of the highest tariff nations in the world”. This is happening during changing US-China trade relations. After initial ratcheting up in which 145% tariffs were levied on Chinese goods, the two economic powers are said to have reached a trade deal that will impact supply chain diversification plans.
Read Also: Trump’s Tariffs Cause $10 Trillion Global Market Loss
Indian officials continue to believe that Apple is serious about manufacturing in the country, with the tech giant having started to move production to the country in 2020 as part of the Production Linked Incentive scheme long before the current trade spats.
