Foxconn sends 97% of India iPhone exports to US as Apple tackles Trump's tariffs
NEW DELHI: Nearly all the iPhones exported by Foxconn from India went to the United States between March and May, customs data showed, far above the 2024 average of 50% and a clear sign of Apple's efforts to bypass high U.S. tariffs imposed on China.
The numbers, being reported by Reuters for the first time, show Apple has realigned its India exports to almost exclusively serve the U.S. market, when previously the devices were more widely distributed to countries including the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Britain.
During March-May, Foxconn exported iPhones worth $3.2 billion from India, with an average 97% shipped to the United States, compared to a 2024 average of 50.3%, according to commercially available customs data seen by Reuters.
India iPhone shipments by Foxconn to the United States in May 2025 were worth nearly $1 billion, the second-highest ever after the record $1.3 billion worth of devices shipped in March, the data showed.
Apple and Foxconn did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said China will face 55% tariffs after the two countries agreed on a plan, subject to both leaders' approval, to ease levies that had reached triple digits.
India is subject, like most U.S trading partners, to a baseline 10% tariff and is trying to negotiate an agreement to avert a 26% "reciprocal" levy that Trump announced and then paused in April.
Apple's increased production in India drew a strong rebuke from Trump in May. "We are not interested in you building in India, India can take care of themselves, they are doing very well, we want you to build here," Trump recalled telling CEO Tim Cook.
In the first five months of this year, Foxconn has already sent iPhones worth $4.4 billion to the U.S. from India, compared to $3.7 billion in the whole of 2024.
Apple has been taking steps to speed up production from India to bypass tariffs, which would make phones shipped from China to the U.S. much more expensive. In March, it chartered planes to transport iPhone 13, 14, 16 and 16e models worth roughly $2 billion to the United States.
Apple has also lobbied Indian airport authorities to cut the time needed to clear customs at Chennai airport in the southern state of Tamil Nadu from 30 hours to six hours, Reuters has reported. The airport is a key hub for iPhone exports.
"We expect made-in-India iPhones to account for 25% to 30% of global iPhone shipments in 2025, as compared to 18% in 2024," said Prachir Singh, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research.
Tata Electronics, the other smaller Apple iPhone supplier in India, on average shipped nearly 86% of its iPhone production to the U.S. during March and April, customs data showed. Its May data was not available.
The company, part of India's Tata Group, started exporting iPhones only in July 2024, and only 52% of its shipments went to U.S. during 2024, the data showed.
Tata declined to comment on the numbers.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has in recent years promoted India as a smartphone manufacturing hub, but high duties on importing mobile phone components compared to many other countries means it is still expensive to produce the devices in India.
Apple has historically sold more than 60 million iPhones in the U.S. each year, with roughly 80% made in China. (Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Munsif Vengattil; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
3 hours ago
- Zawya
STATEMENT: Official visit to Ghana by H.E. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India
The Presidency of the Republic of Ghana is pleased to announce that the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, His Excellency Narendra Modi, will undertake a two-day Official Visit to Ghana from Wednesday, 2nd July, to Thursday, 3rd July, 2025. The visit highlights the warm and longstanding friendly relations between Ghana and India, as well as the importance both nations place on strengthening their strategic partnership. The itinerary for the visit includes a bilateral meeting between President Mahama and Prime Minister Modi at the Presidency. The two leaders will engage in discussions aimed at deepening cooperation across various sectors, including trade, investment, agriculture, technology, education, healthcare, and energy. They will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. Key highlights of the visit will include the signing of several bilateral agreements to consolidate cooperation frameworks between Ghana and India, followed by a joint Press Conference addressed by President Mahama and Prime Minister Modi. President Mahama will also host a State Dinner in honour of Prime Minister Modi and his delegation. The visit by Prime Minister Modi is expected to strengthen bilateral ties, foster deeper economic cooperation, and solidify the bonds of friendship between the peoples of Ghana and India. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Gaza ceasefire talks intensify as Trump suggests a deal may be within reach
Gaza ceasefire talks being held in Cairo have moved up a gear, with US President Donald Trump saying an agreement could be reached within a week and mediator Qatar speaking of a window of opportunity that should be seized. Speaking from the Oval Office during the signing on Friday of a peace accord between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, Mr Trump said he had spoken earlier with people involved in brokering the previous truce in the 20-month Israel-Gaza war. 'We think within the next week, we're going to get a ceasefire,' he said without elaborating. In Qatar, which has been mediating in the conflict together with the US and Egypt, Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said negotiators are engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from this week's Israel-Iran ceasefire and work towards a Gaza truce and the release of hostages held by Hamas -led groups. 'If we don't utilise this window of opportunity and this momentum, it's an opportunity lost among many in the near past. We don't want to see that again,' he told AFP in an interview. "We have seen US pressure and what it can accomplish," he said, referring to a truce agreed in January. The US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to broker a new ceasefire after that truce collapsed on March 18 when Israel resumed military operations, two weeks after it ordered a halt to relief aid entering the coastal strip where hundreds of thousands are facing hunger and shortages of basic items. Mr Trump did not explain why he was optimistic about reaching a truce soon. The US has said several times previously that a deal was within reach, only for the talks to reach a deadlock as both Israel and Hamas stuck to their conditions. Sources familiar with the peace effort in Cairo told The National that the talks have gathered pace in recent days, with US envoy Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American, engaging intense conversations with the Egyptian mediators and senior Hamas officials who have been in Cairo since Monday. Mr Trump's special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in the region early next week, when he will visit Egypt, Israel and Qatar, according to the sources. A mid-level Israeli official was in Cairo earlier this week and senior negotiators from the Mossad spy agency and military were expected soon, the sources said. There has been no confirmation of this yet from the Israeli government. The sources told The National earlier this week that the proposals on the table to pause the war and secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza were not significantly different from those discussed in previous rounds. However, the current discussions are centred on modifying those proposals to provide for a "comprehensive accord" to be negotiated during a proposed 60-day truce, which includes a long-term ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, they said on Saturday. However, Israel remained reluctant to agree at present to anything beyond a temporary truce and the release of all the hostages, they said. Additionally, Israel continues to demand a security presence in Gaza as well as the complete dismantling of Hamas's military and governing capacities. Hamas has meanwhile shown some flexibility over the timeline for the initial release of 10 living hostages and the remains of half of those who died while in captivity, as provided for in the proposals, said the sources. Hamas still holds about 50 hostages, of whom 20 are believed to be alive, according to Israel's military. Hamas had previously said it wanted to stagger the release of the 10 living hostages over the 60-day truce to ensure Israel's compliance with the deal. Israel rejected this, insisting all 10 must be freed the day the truce goes into effect. Hamas also wants Israel to remove its troops from designated land corridors for the delivery and distribution of aid to Gazans, the sources said. It also insists that a proposed commission of independent Palestinian technocrats start running the war-battered enclave the day the truce goes into force. The sources said proposals for Hamas to lay down its arms and keep them in storage, as well as the departure from Gaza of senior Hamas officials to live in exile, are still on the negotiating table. The group is open to both conditions, but categorically refusing to disarm, and will agree to the exile of some of its leaders only if Israel guarantees not to target them. The Gaza war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. Israel responded with a devastating military campaign that has killed more that 56,000 Palestinians and wounded more than twice that number, according to authorities in Gaza. The fighting has also displaced most of the territory's 2.3 million residents and reduced much of its built-up area to rubble.
Zawya
4 hours ago
- Zawya
Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Ukraine on the Peace Agreement Between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda
We welcome the signing of the peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda. This important achievement for Africa and international security has been made possible thanks to the decisive role of the United States and personally President Donald Trump, as well as a number of countries and international organizations. In particular, we commend the constructive efforts of the Presidents of Angola and Kenya, the African Union, the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community, and the United Nations. The State of Qatar has made a significant contribution to advancing the peace settlement, especially by ensuring complementarity and coherence among various mediation initiatives. Ukraine highly values the effective mediation by the United States. We congratulate U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and American diplomacy on this achievement. The active involvement of the American side in the negotiation process played a decisive role in reaching and signing the peace agreement. We hope for the responsible efforts of both parties in implementing the peace agreement and in ensuring lasting peace and security in the Great Lakes region. This will create favourable conditions for strengthening the economic potential and social stability of the states in the region, improving their investment attractiveness, and deepening economic ties with other countries. Ukraine reaffirms its commitment to comprehensively intensify mutually beneficial cooperation with the countries of the region, including a readiness to contribute meaningfully to achieving their socio-economic development goals. We are confident that the United States can play a similarly decisive role in achieving a just peace and ending Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. This peace agreement demonstrates that it is possible to stop the killing and restore peace even under challenging circumstances, when the international community acts resolutely and the parties participate in the peace process in good faith. We emphasize that the foundation of the peaceful settlement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda is based on the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, including the mutual obligation of states to respect each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty within internationally recognized borders, to refrain from the threat or use of force, to avoid interference in internal affairs, and to facilitate the return of refugees and internally displaced persons. It is precisely these universally recognized principles of international law that underpin Ukraine's proposals for ending the war in Europe and restoring a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace for Ukraine. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
