Trump asks Apple to stop moving iPhone production to India: India insists dealings with Pakistan to be ‘strictly bilateral’ after Trump’s offer

NEW DELHI: India’s relations and dealings with Pakistan will be “strictly bilateral”, which is a national consensus for many years and there is “absolutely no change” in that consensus, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday.

The remarks from Jaishankar came as US President Donald Trump once again spoke about the role that he played in bringing the latest India-Pakistan conflict to a pause on May 10.

“To me things are fairly clear. Let me take this opportunity to spell out our position. Where Pakistan is concerned, our — relations — dealings with them will be bilateral and strictly bilateral — that is a national consensus for many years and there is absolutely no change in that consensus that dealings with Pakistan will be bilateral,” the minister said while speaking to the media after the launch of the new embassy of Honduras in New Delhi.

He said talks with Pakistan would be on India’s concerns about, what he called, “Pakistan-based terror outfits”. He said, “We are prepared to discuss with them what needs to be done on terrorism”.

Jaishankar also said on Thursday that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) would remain suspended until, what he alleged, “cross-border terrorism by Pakistan” is stopped, AFP reported. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, responded calling the treaty “a no-go area”. “The treaty can’t be amended, nor can it be terminated by any party unless both agree,” he told parliament.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said he has asked Apple Inc’s Tim Cook to stop building plants in India to make devices for the US, pushing the iPhone maker to add domestic production as it pivots away from China, reports Bloomberg.

“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump said of his conversation with the Apple chief executive officer in Qatar, where he’s on a state visit. “He is building all over India. I don’t want you building in India.” As a result of their discussion, Trump said Apple will be “upping their production in the United States.”

Trump’s comments throw a wrench into Apple’s plan to import most of the iPhones it sells in the US from India by the end of next year, accelerating a shift beyond China to mitigate risks related to tariffs and geopolitical tensions. Apple makes most of its iPhones in China and has no smartphone production in the US -- though it’s promised to hire more workers at home and pledged to spend $500 billion domestically over the next four years. The iPhone facilities in India produce more than 40 million units per year, about 20 per cent of Apple’s annual output.