Apple Reportedly Orders Taiwanese Suppliers To Brand Products As ‘Made In China’

A recent report by Nikkei purports that, internally, Apple has been asking its Taiwan-based suppliers to label products as being produced in China, for fear that customs inspections could be disrupted otherwise. 

It appears the technology giant is taking extra care to ensure components passing through the mainland are tagged as made in ‘Chinese Taipei’ or ‘Taiwan, China’ in order to comply to rules that require imported goods to suggest the island nation is part of China. 

If a product is labeled as ‘Made in Taiwan’, it could apparently lead to delays, fines, or even rejection of the entire shipment. The problem comes as Taiwan has an opposing stance on the matter, requiring exports to be labeled as from ‘Taiwan’ or just the ‘Republic of China’. 

As per The Guardian, this request from Apple has sparked backlash from around the world, with GreatFire—an organization against online Chinese censorship—calling it a step further than when the company removed the Taiwanese flag from the list of emojis available to users in China and Hong Kong. 

The publication also notes that Apple has informed suppliers to form “contingency plans” to amend labels if deemed necessary. While the firm has yet to comment on the matter publicly, it seems its new rules may not be viewed in the best light.

[via Nikkei and The Guardian, cover image via Sylvain Robin | Dreamstime.com]