Apple Claims China Tariffs Give Unfair Advantage to Samsung

Author:

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

Date:

08/19/2019

Tag:

@apple @samsung #chinatariffs #timcook #psd

Apple Claims China Tariffs Give Unfair Advantage to Samsung

Apple CEO Tim Cook

Here’s a lark – Apple complained to President Trump that his China tariffs make it harder for the Cuperino giant to compete with Samsung. You can’t make this up.

So an “American” company like Apple, with its manufacturing base in China, deserves protection over a Korean company, which has factories in Vietnam, India, and Indonesia? An American enterprise that farms out its production to China is morally superior to a foreign corporation that farms out its production to different countries? And since we’re just trying to punish foreign nations (and their foreign companies), the tariffs need to stop?

And Trump was actually receptive to this line of reasoning??

"I had a very good meeting with Tim Cook," Trump told reporters Sunday. "Tim was talking to me about tariffs. And one of the things, and he made a good case, is that Samsung is their number one competitor, and Samsung is not paying tariffs because they're based in South Korea."

Trump added that “I thought he made a very compelling argument, so I'm thinking about it."

Just so we’re clear – I think all protectionism is stupid, and I’m 100% in favor of globalization. I just think it’s hypocritical to cry the blues because tariffs – which are supposed to bolster the U.S. economy – hurt an “American” company that outsourced its labor.