Apple's top manufacturer asks the government to open up its wallet if Trump wants more US factories (AAPL)

pulse

March 9, 2017 7:41 PM

"Does the U.S. offer incentive programs for foreign investors? They'll need to pass bills first," Foxconn boss Terry Gou said.

Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou

If Apple were to build phones in the United States, it would require the help of Foxconn, its primary manufacturing partner, which builds iPhones and other products in its factories in China.

Foxconn's chairman suggested on Thursday that if Trump wants to see electronics made-in-America, he should be willing to open the government's wallet and offer incentives and tax breaks.

"Does the U.S. offer incentive programs for foreign investors? They'll need to pass bills first, and we'll need to wait for American authorities to make a decision first," Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou said after a groundbreaking ceremony in China last week, according to Nikkei.

Gou suggested that rumored plans for Foxconn to build a $7 billion flat-panel screen factory in the U.S. will depend on governments addressing "investment issues."

"I am concerned as to whether the U.S. can resolve all the investment issues in only a few months' time," he said.

Gou also said that the United States might not have the skilled labor or supply chain for high-tech manufacturing. Late Apple founder Steve Jobs used similar arguments when he told Barack Obama why Apple did not manufacture iPhones in the United States.