India’s additional scrutiny of imports from China has disrupted operations at plants owned by Apple supplier Foxconn in southern India, reports Reuters. Quoting three unnamed sources, the article says other foreign firms are also facing delays as tensions between the two countries build.
More than 150 Foxconn shipments – containing smartphone and electronic parts – were stuck at the port of Chennai, though some are being cleared slowly now, the first source said. Foxconn’s two plants in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh state mainly assemble Apple and Xiaomi smartphones in the country and employ thousands of workers.
Part of the friction may be because, according to a June 2019 Nikkei Asian Review report, the ongoing U.S./China trade/tariff wars, has Apple has a special team looking into the possibility of moving up to 30% of the production of iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and AirPods out of China and into other countries such as Mexico, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Some iPhone production has already been moved from China to India and Brazil.
Then there’s India’s ban on some Chinese mobile apps. China’s Commerce Ministry says he hopes India will”correct its discriminatory actions against Chinese companies immediately.”
Also, as noted by 9to5Mac, India appears to be retaliating for the killing of Indian soldiers in a border battle with China last month. At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese forces in a disputed Himalayan border area, Indian officials say.
