300 Chinese Engineers Return Home, iPhone 17 Manufacture in India
will be Affected
More than 300 Chinese workers have left Foxconn's
Indian iPhone assembly plants over the past two months
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Home
Ministry restrictions on visa to Chinese play their part in exodus
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The
move is expected to create operational hurdles as Apple ramps up preparations for
iPhone 17 manufacturing.
Apple's
largest iPhone manufacturer, Foxconn, has recalled more than 300 Chinese engineers
and technicians from its Indian production facilities, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
The move is expected to create operational hurdles as Apple ramps up preparations
for iPhone 17 manufacturing. The sudden withdrawal of Chinese staff—critical to
production line setup and technical oversight—comes amid rising geopolitical tensions.
More
than 300 Chinese workers have left Foxconn's Indian iPhone assembly plants over
the past two months, the global news agency reported. The mass departure affects
facilities in southern India and leaves only Taiwanese support personnel onsite.
It remains unclear why the Chinese workers were recalled. However, earlier this
year, Bloomberg reported that "officials in Beijing verbally encouraged regulatory
agencies and local governments to curb technology transfers and equipment exports
to India and Southeast Asia," in a move seen as discouraging companies from
shifting manufacturing out of China.
Foxconn
is currently constructing a new iPhone assembly plant in the region, part of Apple’s
broader strategy to reduce its manufacturing dependence on China. While the quality
of output may not be affected, Bloomberg notes that "assembly line efficiency
could suffer during the critical ramp-up period for next-generation iPhone production."
Beijing's
strategy is said to extend beyond restricting the movement of personnel. It also
includes limiting the export of specialised equipment and technical expertise vital
for high-end electronics manufacturing. According to Bloomberg, "China's actions
come as countries like India and Vietnam aggressively court global technology companies
seeking to diversify their supply chains away from Chinese dependence."
Apple
CEO Tim Cook has previously underscored the importance of Chinese technical talent
in the iPhone supply chain. "The irreplaceable expertise of Chinese assembly
workers,” he said, is not just about cost advantages but “fundamental to maintaining
production standards."
India
now accounts for roughly 20% of global iPhone production—an impressive shift considering
large-scale manufacturing began there only four years ago. Apple had been aiming
to produce most US-bound iPhones in India by late 2026. The current talent vacuum,
however, may push that timeline further out.