New geopolitical tensions seem to be brewing after India and Pakistan agreed to a temporary ceasefire. It seems like all is not well between New Delhi and Washington ever since US President Donald Trump bypassed India to announce the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Trump has announced the ceasefire between India and Pakistan even before both countries made it official. Not only this, but Trump also alleged that he is ready to mediate the Kashmir issue. Notably, New Delhi's stance is clear on the Kashmir issue, and that is that it will resolve bilaterally with Pakistan.
A few days later, US President Donald Trump alleged that he had threatened India and Pakistan that America would stop doing trade if they didn't agree to a ceasefire. After a plethora of claims that put the Modi Government under the scanner, whether he has accepted external interference in the country's issue or not. Finally, India's MEA rejected the claims made by Trump and stated that there were no talks on trade. The MEA clarified that the ceasefire agreement was reached directly through military-to-military channels between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan. This debunks Trump's claim that the US forced both countries into a ceasefire after long night negotiations.
Arguably angry by India's rejection, Trump during a press conference informed that he had talked to Apple's CEO and asked him not to shift the company's base to India. Instead, move back to the US. "They can take care of themselves," said Trump. However, despite Trump's interference, Apple went ahead with its India plans.
List of Indian states where there are manufacturing and production plants of Apple
As per reports, seven of Apple’s India suppliers are based in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, including Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn), Tata Electronics, and Flex; three are hosted in neighboring state Karnataka, namely Wistron, Aequs, and Shenzhen YUTO Packaging Technology. The states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh each host a supplier: Cheng Uei Precision, Jabil, and Sunwoda, respectively.
- In Tamil Nadu, Apple's primary hub is in Sriperumbudur (near Chennai). Mostly, iPhones are assembled here including iPhone 15 series.
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In Karnataka, Apple's primary hub is in Devanahalli (near Bengaluru). Tata Electronics is expected to become a major Apple supplier through this facility.
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In Andhra Pradesh, Apple's primary hub in is Sri City (on the Andhra-Tamil Nadu border). Apple's Cable assembly and component manufacturing for iPhones generally take place here.
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In Uttar Pradesh's Noida, Apple is involved in Battery manufacturing, components, and chargers.
- In Hyderabad, Foxconn has commenced production of Apple AirPods at this facility for export, while its new, larger plant in Bengaluru is set to begin operations soon to ramp up iPhone production in India.
Apple starts to move its manufacturing base to India
As per CNBC, Foxconn has received approval from the Indian government to build a semiconductor plant in a joint venture with HCL Group, drawing an investment of 37.06 billion rupees ($433 million). The plant, which will be built in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, will be operational by 2027. iPhone suppliers, including Foxconn, are increasingly turning to India in a shift away from China, amid persistent trade tensions between Beijing and Washington. Vaishnaw said the facility will manufacture Foxconn’s display driver chips, which are used in mobile phones, laptops, automobiles, PCs, and other consumer electronics.