Technology giant Apple announced plans to invest $500 billion in the U.S. economy over the next four years. The investment, which will create 20,000 new jobs, suggests the company's support for the U.S. government's policies on employment and investment in the country. As Voice of America correspondent Michelle Quinn reports from Los Angeles, President Donald Trump has said he will double tariffs on imports from China, where most of Apple's products are made.
Apple manufactures most of its iPhone models and other products in China. But in recent years, Apple has expanded its operations to countries like India and Vietnam. But not so much in the United States, A2 reports.
The trend is changing. Apple announced that it will invest $500 billion in the United States over the next four years. The plans include building a center for manufacturing artificial intelligence devices and committing to creating 20,000 jobs.
The announcement comes after Apple CEO Tim Cook met with President Donald Trump. Apple is among US firms that have recently announced investments in the country and the creation of new jobs.
"They (companies) will build here because they don't want to pay tariffs," President Trump said.
In a social media post, President Trump announced that the doubling of the universal 10% tariff on China will take effect on Tuesday.
Analysts say Apple's announcement is part of its drive to have a broader reach of supply chains and is unrelated to tariffs on China.
Voice of America spoke with analyst Bill Reinsch of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"They've been in the process of moving device manufacturing out of China for a few years, at least before the tariffs. There's a significant amount of device manufacturing in China right now. But Apple has a clear trend and I think that trend will continue."
Apple's latest move signals support for American policies for investment and new jobs, a priority of President Trump.
"They're simply using the announcement for broader public exposure of a lot of spending that's currently happening and that aligns quite well with American policy," says Ben Bajarin with the firm Creative Strategies.
As part of its investment in the United States, Apple said it would produce some advanced computer parts at the Taiwanese factory in Arizona, TSMC./ Voice of America (A2 Televizion)
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