‘India can take care of themselves’: Trump on Apple’s India expansion

US President Donald Trump commented on Apple’s growing manufacturing presence in India, saying he had a “little problem” with CEO Tim Cook and didn’t want the iPhone-maker building in India.

Speaking at a business event in Doha, Trump told the audience he was unhappy with the company shifting production from China to India.

"I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday. I said to him, my friend, I am treating you very good. You are coming up with $500 billion, but now I hear you are building all over India. I don't want you building in India. You can build in India, if you want to take care of India because India is one of the highest tariff nations in the world, so it is very hard to sell in India," said the US President at a press briefing during the event.

Trump added that India had offered to eliminate tariffs on American imports as part of ongoing trade talks, but reiterated his push for the tech giant to manufacture in the US. 

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"They have offered us a deal where basically they are willing to literally, charge us, no tariffs. I said Tim, we are treating you really good, we put up with all the plants you built in China for years. We are not interested in you building in India. India can take care of themselves," he added. 

His comments come at a time when Apple is ramping up its India operations, with three factories already operating, two facilities in Tamil Nadu and one in Karnataka, run by Foxconn and Tata Group. 

Earlier this month, AFP reported Cook stating he expected that “a majority of iPhones sold in the US will have India as their country of origin”.  

The US and India are currently negotiating a broader trade agreement.

India recently finalised a trade agreement with the UK that will majorly reduce tariffs in several protected sectors, including whisky and automobiles.

The country last year also signed a $100 billion free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), a group of four non-EU European countries.