The statement comes as the Cupertino-based tech major is taking several steps to increase its iPhone production in India, setting up assembly plants operating in the country.
Doha: US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he has asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to stop building in India as “India can take care of themselves.” Trump made this statement while
discussing Washington’s broader trade relations with India at a business event in Doha.
“I said to him, ‘Tim, you’re my friend. I’ve treated you very well. You’re coming in with $500 billion, but 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. It’s very hard to sell into India,’ he said.
“We put up with all the plants that you built in China for years. You’ve got to build here. We’re not interested in you building in India. India can take care of themselves, they are doing very well. We want you to build here,” he added.
The statement comes as the Cupertino-based tech major is taking several steps to increase its iPhone production in India, setting up assembly plants operating in the country. Two of these plants are located in Tamil Nadu, and one is in Karnataka.
For these plants, Apple has inked an agreement with manufacturers, such as Foxconn and Tata Group to set up production units.
Meanwhile, the company is reportedly planning to start production of AirPods for exports at the Foxconn plant in Hyderabad from April.
“Production of Airpods is going to start in India at Foxconn’s Hyderabad facility. It will begin from April but it will be only for exports as of now,” an industry source told PTI.
AirPods will be the second product category that Apple will start producing in India after iPhones.
According to sources, the iPhone maker, through its vendors, is expected to employ over 5 lakh people in India over the next three years. At present, Apple’s vendors and suppliers employ 1.5 lakh people in India. Tata Electronics, which runs two plants for Apple, is the biggest job generator.
