US President Donald Trump voiced concerns over Apple’s growing investment in India. He criticised Apple CEO Tim Cook for increasing manufacturing in India. He expressed frustration, citing India’s high tariffs, which he argued make it difficult for American companies to sell products there.
“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday. I said to him, my friend, I am treating you very good. You are coming up with $500 billion, but now I hear you are 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, so it is very hard to sell in India,” Trump said.
While addressing a news conference in Doha, US President Trump also claimed that India had offered the US a nearly no-tariff deal on a reciprocal basis.
“They have offered us a deal where we’re basically they’re willing to literally charge us no tariff,” Trump said.
Earlier, it was reported that Apple is set to transition all production of iPhones destined for the US market to India. Apple’s decision to ramp up its production in India aligns with its broader goal of diversifying manufacturing operations away from China.
Meanwhile, India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s is going to US on May 16 to commence advanced trade talks, which have been ongoing on an official level for some time at official level.
This visit comes post US Vice President JD Vance’s trip to New Delhi in April in an effort to secure a bilateral trade deal with the US.
