China’s smartphone exports to US hit decade low since 2011 amid tariff tensions – Firstpost

Chinese language exports of Apple Inc.’s iPhones and different cell units to the US fell to their lowest degree in over a decade in April, Bloomberg reported, citing official customs knowledge. The sharp decline displays how the looming menace of US tariffs has disrupted the circulation of high-value electronics between the 2 international locations.

In accordance with the report, smartphone shipments from China to the US dropped 72% year-on-year to only beneath $700 million final month. This steep fall far exceeded the general 21% decline in Chinese language exports to the US throughout the identical interval.

In accordance with a report by Bloomberg, the Trump administration’s tariff technique — with levies reaching as excessive as 145% on Chinese language imports — is severely impacting expertise provide chains and shifting electronics manufacturing to different international locations.

Amid heightened commerce tensions, Beijing has accused Washington of derailing latest negotiations in Geneva by pursuing further sanctions focusing on Huawei Applied sciences Co.’s AI chip enterprise.

In 2024, smartphones, laptops, and lithium-ion batteries ranked among the many high US imports from Beijing, whereas China imported invaluable commodities comparable to soybeans, oil, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment from the US.

The report additionally identified a notable rise in Chinese language exports of cellphone parts to India, the place Apple has its largest iPhone manufacturing base exterior China, with volumes roughly quadrupling over the previous yr.

Whereas Apple has elevated its manufacturing footprint in India, former President Trump just lately criticized the transfer and urged the corporate to convey manufacturing again to the US — a shift broadly seen as impractical within the close to time period.