Mr. Trump's statement was made in the context that the technology corporation Apple is looking to reduce the impact of high tariffs imposed by the US on goods from China.
Speaking during his multi-day trip to the Gulf region, Mr. Trump revealed: I have some problems with Tim Cook. I said, Tim, we have treated you very well. We accept that he has placed factories in China for many years. But we don't want you to build in India... We want you to build right here."
Mr. Trump's statement was made just a few days after Apple announced that most of the iPhone sold in the US in the near future will be originated from India. Earlier, Apple warned it was difficult to accurately estimate the impact of tariffs, especially after the Trump administration applied taxes of up to 145% with products from China - the long time is still its main production center.
Although finished smartphone models are temporarily exempt from taxes, not all Apple device components are exempt. According to CEO Tim Cook, Apple predicts that the new tax rate will cause the company to lose about 900 million USD in the current quarter, although the impact of the tax is still "limited" in the early part of the year.
Trade tensions between the US and China have shown signs of cooling down when the two sides announced the suspension of retaliatory tariffs within 90 days. However, in that context, Apple is looking to shift its supply chain to India to avoid risks from tax policies.
Not only China, India is also affected by US tax policies. On May 13, the country threatened to retaliate after the US increased tariffs on steel and aluminum. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said that trade negotiations with the US are still ongoing, and any agreement needs to ensure the interests of both sides.
In that context, Apple announced in February that it would invest more than $500 billion in the US over the next 4 years and committed to hiring 20,000 more workers there. Apple has committed $500 billion, and they will increase production even more. Thats great, Trump said during his visit to Qatar.
