Apple has reportedly asked Taiwan-based suppliers to label their products as made in China, in an effort to avoid being disrupted by strict Chinese customs controls that resulted from the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei.
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According to Nikkei, the company has asked manufacturers on the island to label parts destined for mainland China as made in “Chinese Taipei” or “Taiwan, China.” The labels are required to comply with a long-standing but previously unenforceable rule that requires imported goods to indicate that the island is part of the People’s Republic of China.
The phrase “Made in Taiwan” can lead to delays, fines, and even rejection of the entire shipment under the rule. However, Taiwan itself requires exports to be labeled with the point of origin: either the name “Taiwan” or the country’s official name, “Republic of China.”
The move to require vendors to deny Taiwan’s independent existence has drawn criticism from around the world. GreatFire, which campaigns against Chinese internet, noted that the move was an escalation of Apple’s previous action, which removed the Taiwanese flag from emoji for users in China and Hong Kong. “It’s only a matter of time before Apple starts removing apps whose names contain Taiwanese characters without specifying the ‘province of China.’”
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"Unfortunately, we suspect that Apple's 'red line,' the moment when it will say, 'Stop, no more, we cannot continue to cooperate with the Chinese regime and enforce its censorship demands,' is not close," said GreatFire's Benjamin.
Apple may have felt like it had little choice but to comply with China’s demands. Shipping delays now would be devastating as the company moves into the final stages of production for the iPhone 14, which is expected to be announced at a press event next month. Supply chain shortages have already begun to take their toll, with the company making the unprecedented decision, according to trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, to ship the cheaper non-Pro variants of the phone with the same core chip that’s already in the iPhone 13 right now.
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The models produced in India and Brazil largely serve local demand and are not intended for export around the world. For this reason, Apple still play an irreplaceable role, such as serving the millions of Chinese customers who buy iPhones.
