Overview

• More than 300 Chinese engineers and technicians have been recalled from Foxconn’s southern India iPhone factories over the past two months, leaving only Taiwanese support staff onsite
• Chinese regulatory agencies and local governments were informally urged by Beijing to tighten controls on technology transfers, labor exports and specialized equipment shipments to India and Southeast Asia
• The loss of seasoned technical staff threatens assembly-line efficiency and local workforce training just as Apple and Foxconn prepare to scale up next-generation iPhone 17 manufacturing
• India now accounts for roughly 20% of global iPhone output, and the expertise shortage may delay Apple’s goal to source most US-bound iPhones from India by late 2026
• Neither Apple nor Foxconn has publicly explained the recall, highlighting how China is using non-tariff measures as leverage in the broader US-China technology rivalry