“Do you have any reaction to the factory workers that were beaten and detained for protesting Covid lockdowns?”“Do you regret restricting AirDrop access that protestors used to evade surveillance from the Chinese government? … Do you think it’s problematic to do business with the Chinese Communist Party when they suppress human rights?”The numbers behind the Apple-China relationship
An attendee inspects the new iPhone 15 Pro at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park on September 12, 2023, in Cupertino, California. Image source: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Maybe that works on Chinese consumers, but I defy you to show me proof that such a philosophy has had any impact whatsoever on the Chinese regime itself — beyond enriching, to a certain degree, that very regime. Relations between both countries are so icy at the moment, in fact, that an aide to China’s president recently warned that “” are very likely in the near future.
Yes, Apple is diversifying its supply chain by moving more manufacturing to countries like India and Vietnam. But even in the most optimistic scenario, that effort is years away from being able to completely and totally supplant what Apple is doing now in China — even if Cook supported such a prospect, which I don’t think he does, necessarily.