If President Donald Trump wants Apple to bring iPhone manufacturing to the United States, America needs to open up its wallet first, according to the company that actually assembles the devices.
Foxconn CEO Terry Gou said that if Trump truly wants iPhones to be made in America, he’ll need to push new laws through Congress that offer incentives and tax breaks to foreign companies.
“Does the U.S. offer incentive programs for foreign investors?” Gou said in a recent interview with Business Insider. “They’ll need to pass bills first, and we’ll need to wait for American authorities to make a decision first.”
Foxconn recently announced its plan to build a $7 billion flat-panel screen factory in the United States. However, Gou put those plans in doubt, saying the United States will need to address “investment issues” for the deal to go through. The factory would create an estimated 50,000 U.S. jobs.
During his campaign for the White House, Trump called on his followers to boycott Apple until iPhones get made in America. He also criticized Cupertino for refusing to create a backdoor into iPhones for the FBI.
Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook have reportedly had numerous conversations since the presidential election. Bringing iPhone manufacturing to the United States won’t be easy, though. Foxconn’s Gou said the United States doesn’t have enough skilled labor for high-tech manufacturing. That’s also what Steve Jobs told President Barack Obama when he was in office.
