Apple, Google, and others are having to delay or reduce plans to move manufacturing away from China, as the impact of the
coronavirus makes governments increase border controls.
Partly because of
US/China trade tensions, and partly to
avoid over-reliance on one source, Apple and other firms have been steadily moving away from China. Now, however, new COVID outbreaks have affected international trade as governments attempt to contain new variants of the virus.
According to
Nikkei Asia, tighter border controls and intermittent travel restrictions are
affecting the plans of Apple, Google, Amazon, and component suppliers.
Reportedly,
Apple's plans to mass produce
AirPods and
AirPods Pro in Vietnam have been been particularly affected. For now, they will continue to be produced in China, though unnamed sources say Apple still aims to move 20% of AirPods production to Vietnam at some point.
