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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has threatened Apple with an import tariff of 25 per cent on iPhones sold, but not manufactured, in the United States, a German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
“I have long ago informed [chief executive] Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform on Friday.
“If that is not the case, a tariff of at least 25 per cent must be paid by Apple to the US,” he added.
Trump has long demanded that Apple build the iPhone – its most important product, in the US. Experts argue that this would require huge investments and make smartphones drastically more expensive.
Under Cook’s leadership, Apple has built up supply chains in Asia over the last few decades with large factories, mainly in China.
In recent years, the company has also stepped up production in India and Vietnam, partly in response to supply bottlenecks following the coronavirus lockdowns in China.
— BERNAMA-dpa