After US President Donald Trump on Thursday, May 15, suggested that he had asked Apple boss Tim Cook to not manufacture in India, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said India is a strong hub for production.
“Companies will see competitive advantage while deciding their manufacturing strategy. India has emerged as a competitive hub for smart phone manufacturing,” Barthwal said.
“We don’t comment on what the President (of another country) says,” he added.
Recently, Apple took some steps to expand its iPhone production in India, setting up assembly plants operating in the country. Two of these plants are located in Tamil Nadu, and one is in Karnataka. For these plants Apple has signed contracts with manufacturers, such as Foxconn and Tata Group, to set up production units.
Responding to reports of US President Donald Trump saying India had offered the US a trade deal with zero tariffs, Barthwal said, “Any statement which is coming from the head of a government elsewhere, I think it has been appropriately replied to at the level of the External Affairs Minister. So, I would not like to comment any further.”
He however said that the talks with the US on the trade negotiations are continuing in a positive way.
“The talks are progressing very well, and a team is set to go to the US to conduct further discussions with them,” the Commerce Secretary said.
Earlier, responding to claims of President Trump on a zero-tariff deal with India EAM Jaishankar said complicated negotiations were ongoing and no final agreement had been reached.
On April 23, US Vice President J.D. Vance said that India and the US finalized terms of reference for the ongoing negotiations for completing a bilateral trade agreement between the two countries.
“Both governments are working on a trade agreement built on shared priorities, including creating new jobs, building durable supply chains, and achieving prosperity for workers,” he said.
