Political tensions between the USA and China are forcing many American manufacturers to move their factories to India and Vietnam
Apple, which is facing very serious legal problems in the US, is going against the tide and promising its Chinese partners “not to shift their production to other countries, such as India and Vietnam.” The US Department of Justice and 15 states have sued Apple for “exploiting its dominant position to the detriment of competitors.” According to some analysts, the intimidation by Washington is aimed at dissuading Apple from cooperating with China, against which the US authorities have launched an all-out technological war.
Nevertheless, Apple CEO Tim Cook held an informal meeting in Shanghai on March 22 with executives from three key iPhone electronic component suppliers in China: automaker Build Your Dreams (BYD), microelectronics maker Shenzhen Everwin Precision Technology, and sensor company Lens Technology. According to Chinese newspapers, “Cook intended to reassure Apple’s partners in China of the stability of the relationship with the American iPhone manufacturer despite the current political, economic, and trade tensions between Beijing and Washington.”
Cook’s meeting with representatives from three Chinese companies took place at Apple’s Shanghai office on the eve of the opening of the new Apple Store in the Jing’an neighborhood. This is the 57th store opened by an American company in the country.