Apple buckles in front of China and hides the reference to “Made in Taiwan” on the devices around the iPhone. The country had long required this from the manufacturer.
Apple bows to pressure from China. The US company has urged its Taiwan-based partners to change the “Made in Taiwan” label, Engadget reports. Instead, the designation “Taiwan, China” or “Chinese Taipei” should be used in the future.
The background is that China wants to keep up the appearance that Taiwan is part of the country. In China, the rule has long been in force that no products should say “Made in Taiwan”. So far, however, Apple has refused to do so.
No more “Made in Taiwan”: Apple wants to avoid delivery problems
The reason for the change of heart is likely to be an inspection by the authorities of goods from Taiwan at Apple locations in China. In the worst case, officials could refuse to accept the goods or impose fines on Apple.
Apparently Apple wants to avoid these problems. The upcoming iPhone 14 is expected to be presented and released in mid-September. The production of millions of devices is currently running at full speed. The manufacturer can hardly afford a delay here.
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, recently visited Taiwan. Relations between the US, Taiwan and China have since deteriorated again. The People’s Republic sees a clear provocation in the trip.
