Even if President Donald Trump asked Tim Cook not to open more factories in the country, government sources say Apple’s plan to shift its manufacturing bases more and more to India remains intact, according to government sources.
Government sources have shown that Apple’s manufacturing plans will continue on its growth path as India has become a key player in smartphone production.
If companies recognize the value of manufacturing in India, they will continue on their path. Companies like Apple recognize their own competitiveness, and investment decisions are based on their own costs, one source said.
The statement of intent comes hours after Trump said there was a “minor problem” with chefs in Indian manufacturing.
“I told him, Tim you’re my friend, you’re bringing $500 billion, but you’re building all over India, I don’t want you to build across India,” he said as he spoke to the media after a meeting with Doha business leaders.
“If you want to take care of India, you can build India, but India is one of the highest tariffs in the world and it’s very difficult to sell to India. Basically, we go from the highest tariffs because they literally provided us with no tariffs claimed to us.
“We couldn’t even operate in India because of the high tariffs. We’re not at the lowest in India’s top 30. They say there are no tariffs now,” Trump said.
