Tim Cook Just Snubbed Trump—and Doubled Down on China

While Trump fumes about bringing manufacturing back to America, Apple's Tim Cook just made his second pilgrimage to China this year. On October 15, he sat down with Industry Minister Li Lecheng in Beijing, and the message was crystal clear: Apple's betting bigger on China, not backing away.

Industry Minister Li Lecheng and Apple CEO Tim Cook meeting in Beijing—where Cook made clear he's all in on China

Cook didn't just talk—he committed to ramping up investment and tightening ties with Chinese suppliers. For analysts watching this dance, it's a telling moment. Despite all the noise about diversifying to India and Vietnam, China remains Apple's indispensable manufacturing backbone and its most lucrative market.

Reuters put it bluntly: with tariff tensions between the world's two biggest economies running hot—and Trump obsessed with reshoring manufacturing—most American companies are walking on eggshells around China. But Cook pledged to keep pumping money into China.

Cook's August meeting with Trump, complete with a $100 billion promise for US investment—but his real money's still flowing to China.

Compared to companies like Nvidia and Qualcomm, which are currently sweating under Chinese regulatory probes, California-based Apple has emerged relatively unscathed from the trade war carnage. Sure, Apple's made some token gestures to Trump. But Cook's playing a more sophisticated game.

Back in May, Trump publicly dressed down Cook, slamming Apple's strategy of spreading production beyond China and demanding they bring it all home to American soil. By August, Cook showed up at the White House with a 24K gold-mounted plaque reading "Made in America"—a shiny trinket to commemorate Apple's domestic investment program—and promised an extra $100 billion for US facilities.

Walking a Political Tightrope

A Shanghai-based US government affairs consultant told Reuters that American firms are terrified of looking "too pro-China" and getting roasted by the White House, potentially torching their domestic operations. But they're equally scared of appearing insincere to Beijing—especially after all those "in China, for China" promises they've been making. Cook kept mum on exactly how much he's planning to invest in China, keeping his cards close.

Apple's been making moves to shift some capacity to India, sure. But the reality? They're still massively dependent on Chinese suppliers and factories. That's not changing anytime soon.

When Cook visited China in March, he announced a new investment fund targeting clean energy expansion in China. That 720 million yuan commitment is aimed at helping Apple hit its goal of 100% renewable energy across its supply chain by 2030.

Apple's Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan also hit the ground in China on October 14, touring AAC Technologies' iPhone 17 Pro vapor chamber module facility in Changzhou, Jiangsu, and Lens Technology's iPhone 17 mid-frame production line in Taizhou, Jiangsu. This was Khan's inaugural China trip to inspect the Apple supply chain since stepping into the COO role.

Green Energy, Big Numbers

That same day, Apple dropped another announcement: over 90% of its China-based manufacturing now runs on renewable energy. Plus, Apple's suppliers have jointly launched a new investment fund to bolster China's renewable energy infrastructure.

The "China Renewable Energy Infrastructure Fund" totals 1 billion yuan, entirely supplier-led, with plans to inject 1 million megawatt-hours of clean electricity into China's grid by 2030.

When Minister Li met Cook on the 15th, he urged Apple to deepen its roots in the Chinese market, actively participate in China's new industrialization drive, and collaborate with Chinese supply chain partners for innovation-driven growth.

Cook's China visit came right after Apple's latest iPhone launch, with Shanghai as his first stop. He popped up at THE MONSTER's 10th-anniversary tour, hanging out with POP MART founder Wang Ning and LABUBU creator Kasing Lung. He also swung by Apple's Shanghai retail stores and announced a donation to support environmental education and climate action projects at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Cook meets LABUBU creator—soft power in action.

Cook Goes Viral on Douyin

Cook even jumped into his first-ever Douyin livestream at Apple's flagship store, which instantly became internet gold. He used the moment to announce iPhone Air's China release, with pre-orders kicking off on the 17th, then whipped out an iPhone Air for a demo, describing it as "so light it could fly away."

Cook's Douyin debut went viral—commitment looks like this.

According to fresh data from IDC, Apple's smartphone shipments in China climbed 0.6% year-on-year in Q3 to 10.8 million units—this against a backdrop of sluggish demand in China's smartphone market overall. Powered by the iPhone 17 series, Apple was the only brand among China's top three manufacturers to post shipment growth during that period.

Industry watchers point out that despite Apple's recent efforts to expand manufacturing in India and Vietnam, China remains its most critical manufacturing and sales hub. Cook's signal to expand China investment is being read as Apple's strategic balancing act between diversifying its supply chain and keeping its Chinese market stable.

China has repeatedly emphasized that the business community serves as a stabilizer in China-US relations, a driver of practical cooperation, and a catalyst for people-to-people exchanges.

Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng, speaking at the National Committee on US-China Relations' annual awards dinner on October 14, noted that numerous American companies have chosen China and grown alongside it, vividly embodying the principle of being in China, benefiting both China and the US, and contributing to the world.

Deep Throat

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Trump just rolled out another tariff threat, and this time Iran's trading partners are in his crosshairs. On January 12, the US president announced a blanket 25% tariff on any country "doing business" with Tehran.

The international press immediately fixated on China—Iran's biggest trade partner. Reuters warned this could reignite the US–China trade war and shred the fragile truce both sides hammered out last year. But Chinese scholars aren't buying it. They say Trump lacks the nerve to slap Beijing with new tariffs, because China will hit back hard—and make him regret it.

Anti-government protests erupt in Iran. (AP photo)

The Financial Times reported on January 12 that these tariffs—which took effect immediately—could slam China, India, Turkey, Pakistan, the UAE, Brazil, and Iraq. All of them trade heavily with Iran. Russia sealed a new free trade deal with Iran in 2025, making it another potential target.

CNN pointed out the stakes for Beijing. China trades with both Iran and the US, so if Washington applies these tariffs, Chinese goods entering America could see costs spike. The network recalled that after last year's summit in Busan, South Korea, the Chinese and US presidents agreed to pause portions of their tariff war—a temporary truce.

Iran as Flashpoint, Again

Reuters published a piece on January 13 titled "Trump's Iran Tariff Threat Risks Reopening China Rift." The article traced how Iran became a powder keg in US–China relations during Trump's first term (2017–2021).

Back then, Washington tightened sanctions on Tehran and blacklisted Huawei, accusing the Chinese telecom giant of selling tech to Iran. That led to the arrest of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei's daughter, Meng Wanzhou, in Canada—triggering a diplomatic crisis and sending bilateral tensions through the roof.

Now Trump's targeting Iran again. If he follows through, total US tariffs on Chinese exports could exceed 70%—way higher than the rates both sides agreed to last October when they dialed down their trade fight.

It's still unclear which countries or entities Trump will actually target. He hasn't named China explicitly. But Reuters noted Trump has a track record of making bombastic statements that could upend US foreign policy—only to back off later.

US–China "truce" forged in Busan last year now at risk if Trump's Iran tariffs target Beijing. (AP file photo)

Beijing Calls Trump's Bluff

Wu Xinbo, Dean of Fudan University's School of International Relations, told Reuters that China sees through Trump's posturing. "China will call (Trump's) bluff. I can assure you that Trump has no guts to impose the extra 25% tariffs on China, and if he does, China will retaliate and he will be punished," said Wu.

Another Chinese scholar pushed back on the narrative that China and Iran are economically intertwined, noting that "China and Iran are not as close as in the public imagination".

China Customs data backs that up. Beijing has dramatically reduced imports from Iran in recent years. Through November last year, China imported just 2.9 billion USD worth of Iranian goods—a far cry from the 21 billion USD peak in 2018, during Trump's first presidency.

Some sources claim China's major oil companies stopped doing business with Iran in 2022. Yet China's purchases from Tehran still run into the billions, thanks to independent refiners handling shipments.

China as Convenient Scapegoat

Wang Jin, a researcher at Beijing's Dialogue Think Tank, told reporters that "China is just an excuse, a kind of disguise for the Trump administration, to impose new pressure (on) Iran."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded to Trump's tariff threat on January 13. She stated that China's position on tariffs is crystal clear: tariff wars produce no winners. Beijing will firmly defend its legitimate rights and interests.

Analysts warn that Trump's renewed attempt to cut Iran off from global trade could heighten worries about the Belt and Road Initiative. Iran serves as a strategic hub for Chinese goods heading to the Middle East.

This tariff gambit has cast doubt on Trump's planned April visit to China. Observers had expected him to seal a comprehensive trade deal with Beijing during that trip.

The Wall Street Journal echoed Reuters' concerns, warning that new tariffs on Iran's trading partners could wreck the US–China trade truce.

But Reuters also cited Xu Tianchen, a senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, who questioned whether Trump's tariff policy is even enforceable. "Last year he announced tariffs related to 'illicit' Russian oil trade, but their implementation was patchy." Xu said.

He went on stating that "Trump is also the kind of person who likes bullying the weak," Xu said. "He should manage his actions to avoid these tariffs escalating into direct confrontation with China".