How China is creating 'roadblocks' for Apple to move its production of iPhones to India

Apple

In the last few years, Apple has upped the ante when it comes to assembling iPhones in India. The recent fall out of Trump tariffs has given — not just Apple — tech companies a big reason to further reduce their dependence on China. However, it looks like Apple’s plan to shift a larger share of iPhone production to India is running into quiet but persistent resistance from Beijing.

According to a report by The Information, Chinese authorities are increasingly blocking or delaying the export of key manufacturing equipment needed to ramp up iPhone assembly in India.

The report mentions that earlier this year, a Chinese supplier crucial to Apple’s iPhone 17 trial production was denied permission to send equipment to India. The workaround? The supplier routed the shipment through a Southeast Asian front company, ultimately delivering the machinery to Foxconn’s Indian facility, which is one of Apple’s biggest partner in India.

This isn’t an isolated incident, as per the report. Multiple sources involved in the production pipeline say Chinese officials are now taking months — up from a matter of weeks — to approve export requests. In some cases, according to the report by The Information, applications are denied outright without explanation.

Foxconn, Apple’s primary manufacturing partner, is reportedly facing longer wait times — up to four months — just to get essential equipment cleared for transfer from China to India, as per the report by The Information.

Apple currently assembles around 20% of its iPhones in India, a figure that’s taken years to build up. But the company’s long-term goal is far more ambitious: shifting as much as 50% of its iPhone production out of China. That strategy is driven by a mix of geopolitical concerns, supply chain risk mitigation, and incentives from countries like India keen to bolster domestic manufacturing.

The covert roadblocks imposed by Chinese regulators suggest Apple’s diversification efforts may face more political turbulence and make it difficult to reduce its dependence on China