Advertisement

Apple asks to be left off list of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods

By Danielle Haynes
An employee at China's Everwin Precision Technology works on the smart phone metal-outer-parts automated assembly line in Dongguan, Guangdong province, on May 10. Several Apple products and parts are made in China and are included on the United States' list of proposed tariffs. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI
An employee at China's Everwin Precision Technology works on the smart phone metal-outer-parts automated assembly line in Dongguan, Guangdong province, on May 10. Several Apple products and parts are made in China and are included on the United States' list of proposed tariffs. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

June 20 (UPI) -- Apple asked the Trump administration not to include its products in a list of proposed tariffs on $300 billion worth of Chinese-made goods Thursday, warning the tech company could lose its global competitive edge.

In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Apple said the list of proposed tariffs includes all major Apple products, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods and Apple TV, as well as some parts and batteries for the products.

Advertisement

Though the Cupertino, Calif.-based company didn't join hundreds of companies for hearings this week to testify about how the proposed tariffs would affect it, Apple submitted written comments pressuring Lighthizer's office to leave the products off the tariffs list.

"U.S. tariffs on Apple's products would result in a reduction of Apple's U.S. economic contribution," the letter read. "U.S. tariffs would also weight on Apple's global competitiveness."

Representatives from more than 300 were expected to attend hearings this week with Lighthizer's office. Some companies that depend on Chinese imports for some aspects of their business opposed the tariffs, stating they will increase the cost of production or force them to seek alternative suppliers.

Advertisement

Organizations that compete with Chinese products, such as the National Council of Textile Organizations, have praised the tariffs and called for it to extend further to include items such as finished textile and apparel products.

Earlier this month, more than 600 U.S. companies and business associations warned President Donald Trump that a trade war with China will hurt the U.S. economy. They urged him to return to the negotiating table with China.

"We know firsthand that the additional tariffs will have a significant, negative and long-term impact on American businesses, farmers, families and the U.S. economy," the letter said. "Broadly applied tariffs are not an effective tool to change China's unfair trade practices."

Latest Headlines