Apple has reportedly asked Taiwanese suppliers to label their products as “Made in China”. They did this to avoid strict Chinese customs inspections. With these revisions, China has attempted to block the visit of US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, to Taipei.
According to the Nikkei, the leading Japanese stock index, Apple has asked Taiwanese manufacturers to label parts destined for mainland China as being made in “Chinese Taipei” or “Taiwan, China”. The labels are necessary to comply with a long-standing, but not yet enforced, rule that requires imported goods to create the impression that the island is part of the People’s Republic of China.
“Made in Taiwan” may result in delays, fines, and even the rejection of an entire shipment due to this rule. But Taiwan itself requires that its export products be marked with the place of origin: either the name “Taiwan” or the official name of the country, “Republic of China”.
emoji keyboard
The choice to force suppliers to deny Taiwan’s independent existence has drawn criticism from around the world. GreatFire, which has campaigned against Chinese censorship on the internet, noted that the move was an escalation of an earlier move by Apple, which removed the Taiwanese flag from emoji keyboards for users in China and Hong Kong. “Is it just a matter of time before Apple removes apps containing the name Taiwan without specifying ‘China boycott,'” the organization asked.
“Unfortunately, we suspect Apple won’t say anytime soon, ‘Stop, we can no longer continue to cooperate with and censor the Chinese system,'” Great Fire Benjamin Ismail told the Register news website.
According to some experts, Apple felt it had no choice but to comply with China’s requests. The delivery delay will be disastrous as the company enters the final production phase of the iPhone 14.
other countries
Making smartphones elsewhere is not an option for Apple at the moment. The models produced in India and Brazil are largely intended to meet the demand in the domestic markets and not to export all over the world. That’s why Apple’s Chinese factories still play an irreplaceable role, such as serving the millions of Chinese customers who buy iPhones.
See also: China’s military exercises around Taiwan will continue on Monday
See also: Why is Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan considered so sensitive?
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