Recently, the book “Apple in China” by FT journalist Patrick McGee has gained popularity, with its central theme suggesting that “Apple made China powerful”.

In this book, the author interviewed hundreds of Apple executives and engineers, gathering information to craft a narrative of “Apple empowering China”. Whether this is factual is open to debate. Yet, it’s undeniable that Chinese manufacturing is formidable at present. Portraying Apple as the reason for China’s might clearly benefits U.S. narratives and future direction.

The core idea promoted by the author is that China initially couldn’t manufacture, and it was Apple that taught them how. A startling statistic in the book reveals that, since 2008, Apple has trained 28 million workers in China, surpassing the total workforce of California.

Another astonishing figure is that by 2015, Apple’s annual investment in China reached $55 billion, an unprecedented amount in global corporate history. The author illustrates that if the Marshall Plan is adjusted to 2015 dollars, Apple’s investment in China is twice that amount. Moreover, while the Marshall Plan was directed at 16 European countries, Apple’s investment was entirely in China. This comparison clearly insinuates that China’s prosperity was orchestrated by Apple.

Some neutral facts in the book include:

In 1999, Apple produced nothing in China, but by 2009, manufacturing of all Apple products had shifted there. This dramatic transition saw a turning point in 2003, as Apple sought to produce complex and sophisticated products. Initially, Apple had investments in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, various Southeast Asian countries, and mainland China, before rapidly consolidating in mainland China.

The culmination of this was in 2016 when Tim Cook, Apple’s supply chain expert and China enthusiast, signed a $275 billion secret five-year deal to further strengthen China’s economic and technological capabilities. Apple promised to build new retail stores, research centers, and renewable energy projects, while promoting partnerships with local suppliers like Foxconn, and enhancing China’s supply chain infrastructure.

It wasn’t until Trump took office that everything changed, with Apple planning to manufacture all iPhones for U.S. sales in India by the end of 2026, having already shifted production of iPads, Apple Watches, and other products to Vietnam. In February 2025, Apple announced a $500 billion investment in the U.S. over the next four years to bolster semiconductor manufacturing.

However, as a long-time observer of Chinese manufacturing, from my understanding, this story is greatly exaggerated. The claim of training 28 million people is definitely not Apple’s doing. It likely refers to workers across Apple’s entire supply chain; it’s more reasonable to say these workers were trained by Apple suppliers, which is a different matter.

Without the efforts of Chinese suppliers, Apple could not have established a vast and efficient supply chain system. Crediting all these achievements to Apple is unreasonable, as the reality is a win-win situation.

As for Apple’s annual $55 billion investment in China prior to 2015, equivalent to twice the Marshall Plan, this is certainly exaggerated. China boasts a mature supply chain and highly automated precision manufacturing capabilities. With over 80% of Apple’s suppliers having factories in China, the combined investment may indeed be this substantial, but not solely by Apple.

Apple has significantly contributed to China’s economic development, but likewise, China has greatly supported Apple. A similar situation is evident with Tesla, which would have faced bankruptcy without China. Many American scholars persistently emphasize U.S. company investments in China and attribute China’s development to American technology transfer. Yet, in various fields, such as China’s military development, what does the U.S. have to do with it? Let Apple invest in India to see if it can achieve the same success, and the truth will be evident.

Editor: Zhongxiaowen