China’s Henan province sees drop in smartphone exports as Apple diversifies manufacturing supply chain outside the mainland
- Henan’s smartphone exports totalled 6.65 million units in the first quarter, down 60.1 per cent from the same period last year
- That drop reflected the impact of Apple’s efforts to diversify production outside the mainland
According to data released by Zhengzhou’s local customs authority, Henan’s smartphone exports totalled 6.65 million units in the first quarter, down 60.1 per cent from the same period last year. The customs data did not provide a breakdown of the handset exports by brand.
India’s iPhone exports have been growing significantly and are set to nearly double to US$12.1 billion in Apple’s current financial year, up from US$6.27 billion a year earlier, according to data from consultancy Trade Vision.
Still, Apple sees mainland China as its prime manufacturing base. Apple added eight Chinese suppliers and removed four contractors in the country in its past financial year ended September, the first time since 2021 that the US tech giant introduced more mainland production partners than it cut.
“There’s no supply chain in the world that’s more critical to us than China,” Cook told state media China Daily in March.