
TAIPEI -- China's GoerTek has become the first of Apple's leading equipment suppliers to confirm plans to shift production out of the country to avoid being caught up in the escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing.
The AirPods assembler has notified suppliers that it intends to move production of the wireless earphones to Vietnam, the Nikkei Asian Review has discovered. At the same time, two other smartphone suppliers -- Taiwan's Pegatron and Cheng Uei Precision Industry -- are looking at expanding capacity outside China for similar reasons, although this may not include Apple equipment.