[was_boring]

In this case political tension has very little to do with China and very much with India. India is one of the largest markets Apple has yet to penetrate, primarily due to excessive import tax as the Indian government (much like the Chinese) requires manufacturing within the country.

Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking China is not a reliable partner, or that Apple cares much about worker rights here (see wage fixing between FAANG as one example that likely affects many here at HN) or abroad. This was purely about expanding into a new market.