[By Guancha Observer Network, Ruan Jiaqi]
Just after Apple was reported to be accelerating the transfer of iPhone production for the US market to India, it was publicly criticized by Trump.
According to CNBC's report on the 15th, during a meeting with business executives in Doha, Qatar that day, Trump said he had clearly told Apple CEO Tim Cook that he did not want this American tech giant to produce products in India. He also criticized Apple's move to disperse its production lines from China to other regions and urged it to focus its production on the US mainland.
"Yesterday, I had a small disagreement with Tim Cook," Trump said. "I told him, 'My friend, I haven't treated you badly. You brought $500 billion worth of investment here (to the US), but now I hear that you are expanding production facilities all over India. I don't want you building factories in India.'"
He then said, "I told Tim, 'Look, we have been good to you, allowing you to build so many factories in China for so many years. Now it's time to produce for us Americans. We are not interested in your factories in India; Indians can take care of themselves... We want you to build factories here in the US.'"
According to Trump, the result of this conversation is that Apple will "increase production in the US." However, he did not disclose more specific details.
Trump speaks at the Doha conference - Video screenshot
According to CNBC, Apple only produces a very small number of products in the US, such as the Mac Pro computer. In February this year, the company announced a $500 billion investment plan in the US, mainly focusing on artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and domestic supply chain construction, including building new servers specifically for its AI system "Apple Intelligence" in Texas.
The iPhone is Apple's largest revenue-generating product, with the US market being its largest regional market. However, Apple does not have any smartphone production lines in the US. After years of diversified production layout, 90% of its flagship iPhone models are still assembled in China.
The Trump administration has repeatedly urged Apple to move iPhone production from China back to the US. US Commerce Secretary Lighthizer even envisioned a scene where millions of workers in the US would assemble iPhones. But many industry experts have warned that moving iPhone assembly work to the US is "impractical and costly," with the cost of domestically produced iPhones in the US expected to increase by at least three times.
The White House has quietly exempted mobile phones, computers, and other products from the so-called "reciprocal tariffs," but The Wall Street Journal previously pointed out that due to its deep involvement in the Chinese market, which was the main target of Trump's global tariff pressure, Apple has become one of the most severely affected tech giants last month. Investors are closely monitoring its progress in relocating the final assembly of devices destined for the US market to India and other countries.
According to a Reuters report,知情人士透露，苹果公司正在加速推进供应链转移,计划最早于2026年将面向美国市场销售的iPhone生产线全部转移到印度，以 reduce reliance on China's supply chain.
In this context, Trump directly named Cook at the Doha conference. CNBC reported that Apple has yet to comment on Trump's remarks. In early trading, Apple's stock price fell by 1%.
According to US media reports, Trump mentioned this American tech giant while discussing overall trade relations between the US and India. According to a trade protectionist policy released by the White House in April, Trump previously imposed a so-called "reciprocal tariff" of 26% on Indian goods, and the policy is currently in a 90-day deferral phase.
With the Indian Commerce Minister set to lead a delegation to visit the US on the 16th to negotiate trade agreements, Trump complained about India being "one of the countries with the highest tariffs in the world" at the Doha Business Conference on Thursday.
The White House has repeatedly claimed that India is "very likely" to be one of the first countries to reach a trade agreement with the US. According to the Associated Press, Trump also claimed at the conference that India has agreed not to impose any tariffs on US goods.
"It's very hard to sell things to India, but they proposed an agreement to us, basically meaning they are willing to impose no tariffs on us at all," Trump said, without providing further details or indicating whether the US would lower tariffs on India or offer zero tariffs.
The New York Times reported that when responding to this, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was very cautious, trying to avoid directly refuting Trump's statement.
"Trade negotiations are ongoing," Jaishankar added, noting that the negotiations were "very complex" and that "nothing is certain until everything settles down."
He also emphasized that India and the US must reach a mutually beneficial agreement, and stated that "any judgment before that would be premature."
Data shows that the US is India's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching approximately $129 billion in 2024. India's trade surplus with the US is $45.7 billion. Trump has long complained about India's high tariffs, which he claims harm the interests of American businesses.
According to previous reports by Bloomberg, as part of the trade negotiations, India had proposed zero tariffs on a certain quantity of US imports such as auto parts and pharmaceuticals under the principle of reciprocity. Additionally, the two countries have set a goal to double their trade volume to over $500 billion.
However, India was recently exposed for suddenly changing its stance toward the US, shifting from active negotiation to proposing increased tariffs on the US.
According to a US media report on the 13th, India had previously sent a letter to the WTO, accusing the US steel and aluminum tariffs of being trade protection measures that impacted $7.6 billion worth of Indian exports, with an estimated impact of $1.91 billion in tariffs. In response, India plans to raise tariffs on some US goods.
Bloomberg analysis suggests that this indicates a shift in India's position on trade issues, possibly marking its first retaliatory measure since Trump's return to the White House. This signals that after China resisted the US and achieved results, India is taking a tougher stance in negotiations.
The report points out that just hours before this news broke, the US had significantly reduced tariffs on Chinese products. On the 12th, following high-level economic and trade talks between China and the US, both sides agreed to reduce tariffs within 90 days, cutting rates by 115%.
Priyanka Kishore, founder of Singapore-based consultancy Asia Decoded Pte Ltd, said there is a growing sentiment in India that the government has made too many concessions in trade negotiations with the US. She noted that India "might use this opportunity to reassert its position as an equal trade partner."
Biswajit Dal, a professor at the Indian Social Development Council, said at the time that the US had been "giving orders to India." The proposed retaliatory tariffs are the first sign that India is willing to "stand up and take strong measures." Dal stated that China's success in getting the US to agree indicates that India "must more firmly defend its own interests and show its courage."
This article is an exclusive contribution by the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7504853756698280483/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author. Feel free to express your opinions by clicking the [Upvote] or [Downvote] buttons below.