Anchoring China's Supply Chain: Apple Executive Visits China for the First Time This Year, Checks in at Foxconn and Xinwangda

In March 2026, Apple executives began their first visit to China of the year, signaling a clear intention to deepen cooperation within the Chinese supply chain.

On March 17, Apple Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan visited Shenzhen first, touring Xinwangda Battery Factory and Foxconn’s iPhone assembly line. Journalists accompanied him to observe the latest advancements in automation and intelligence in Chinese manufacturing.

In an interview with 21st Century Business Herald, Sabih Khan said, “Shenzhen has a deep connection with Apple, and I visit here often. Apple’s entire supply chain journey started in Shenzhen. From the early days of iMac to iPad and iPhone, key manufacturing processes were completed here. Over the past 20 or 30 years, China’s supply chain has grown significantly. Working together produces greater results than working alone; we are in a symbiotic relationship.”

He also mentioned China’s “14th Five-Year Plan” regarding high-quality manufacturing, talent, and AI, stating that these initiatives will further enhance the overall supply chain capabilities and turn previously difficult innovations into reality.

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Xinwangda and Foxconn’s Intelligent Manufacturing

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has long been a hub for intelligent manufacturing. Sabih Khan’s visit to Shenzhen included stops at Xinwangda and Foxconn production bases.

Xinwangda, a leading battery manufacturer, has partnered with Apple for 20 years, evolving from an initial iPod battery supplier to a provider of finished batteries for multiple product lines, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods.

At Xinwangda’s Shenzhen Bao’an District factory, highly automated iPhone battery production lines are operating at an impressive pace. Observers noted that through multiple automation upgrades, traditional labor-intensive processes are being transformed with cutting-edge technologies like digital twins, magnetic levitation conveyors, and AI visual inspection.

For example, by applying digital twin technology, Xinwangda not only achieves remote maintenance, reducing response times for on-site equipment issues, but also improves production efficiency. In the workshop, magnetic levitation lines are widely used to enhance automation, utilizing electromagnetic forces to move magnets with precise control of current.

Additionally, Apple and Xinwangda jointly developed automatic optical inspection equipment, replacing traditional industrial cameras with iPhones to visually inspect six sides of batteries—producing “iPhone batteries with iPhone.”

Xinwangda Chairman Wang Wei told reporters, “Apple’s requirements for suppliers are extremely high. Not only do they emphasize product quality, but also the overall management of the enterprise. Xinwangda’s investments in smart manufacturing are made in partnership with Apple, co-innovating and growing together.”

Wang Wei revealed that Xinwangda has maintained close collaboration with Apple’s team for many years, jointly exploring and upgrading automation capabilities. By 2020, Xinwangda’s battery production line automation had reached 98%. This long-term technological investment underpins the current high-end smart manufacturing foundation.

If Xinwangda represents precision automation in core component manufacturing, Foxconn demonstrates system-level intelligence in complete device manufacturing. As a partner deeply involved in every generation of iPhone production since the first model, Foxconn’s role is integral.

At Foxconn’s Guanlan factory in Shenzhen, some workshops have achieved fully automated production modes, such as inspection stations capable of unmanned operation and predictive maintenance.

The level of intelligent production is still increasing. The mainboard production line for iPhones has a digital twin-based central control system for production and maintenance; smart material warehouses, equipped with high-density intelligent storage cabinets, collaborative robots, and automated material carts, achieve 100% accuracy in material preparation; automated loading systems have solved the inefficiencies and errors associated with manual loading.

Furthermore, as AI increasingly integrates into manufacturing, the roles of line workers are evolving. Apple disclosed that this year it will launch a new course focused on “AI+,” developed jointly by Apple engineers and supply chain education teams, to help employees understand these technologies and apply them in daily work.

From batteries to mainboards, from single-process points to complete systems, Xinwangda and Foxconn exemplify China’s ongoing progress in automation and digitalization, as well as Apple’s deep collaboration with its supply chain to drive the evolution of global consumer electronics manufacturing.

Revisiting China’s Supply Chain

From a broader perspective, Apple’s relationship with China’s supply chain is a successful example of a “two-way journey” in global industry history.

Five years after Steve Jobs’ famous “reinvent the phone” keynote in 2012, less than 10% of Apple’s suppliers were Chinese companies. Today, over 80% of Apple’s 200 major global suppliers have factories in China. Chinese companies have evolved from simple OEMs to covering the entire supply chain, including structural components, batteries, acoustic modules, and complete device assembly.

Looking back, the period from 1993 to 2008 marked the initial phase of cooperation between Apple and China. At that time, Apple focused on product sales, with China mainly serving as a market and basic supporting role. During this phase, cooperation was centered on product distribution and small-scale component OEMs, laying the groundwork for the explosive growth of the iPhone era.

From 2009 to 2018, it was a period of deep collaboration. The entry of the iPhone into China was a key turning point, with China rapidly becoming Apple’s largest manufacturing base and core consumer market, entering a “mutual achievement” golden era. The launch of the iPhone 4 in 2010 sparked a market frenzy, and China quickly became one of the world’s largest single markets for iPhone. Currently, about 20% of Apple’s revenue comes from China.

In terms of supply chain, China has handled over 90% of global production of Apple’s mobile phones and tablets. During this period, Apple’s technological standards pushed Chinese OEMs toward high-end manufacturing, with companies like Foxconn, Xinwangda, Luxshare, and Goertek gradually becoming key global suppliers, creating a virtuous cycle of “Apple empowering the industry chain, China supporting Apple’s growth.”

Since 2019, the focus has shifted to diversification and deepening. While expanding supply chain options, Apple continues to invest in R&D, services, and ecosystem development in China, entering a more mature phase of cooperation. Overall, Apple’s partnership with China demonstrates deep, resilient, and long-term commitment. Currently, China handles most of Apple’s high-end model production and component manufacturing globally, a core position that is difficult to replace in the short term.

Foxconn’s General Manager Jiang Jiheng stated in an interview that Foxconn has been deeply rooted in China for nearly 40 years. Moving forward, they will focus on four areas: first, leveraging AI to empower manufacturing and embrace industry transformation; second, strengthening engineering services to support high-complexity, high-quality products; third, increasing talent development and skills training; and fourth, promoting green manufacturing and sustainable development.

He also pointed out that China’s industrial chain maintains core competitiveness due to three advantages: a large pool of high-level engineers and technical talent; a stable, efficient government-enterprise collaboration environment; and a complete, efficient industrial ecosystem that enables rapid innovation and large-scale production. Foxconn will continue to deepen smart manufacturing and engineering services, working with the “14th Five-Year Plan” to promote industrial upgrading.

Apple is also continuously increasing its investment in China. Over the past five years, Apple has invested more than 1 billion RMB in research labs in Shenzhen and Shanghai, with ongoing expansion. This year, the Shenzhen research lab will add another floor, making the entire building an Apple research facility.

Additionally, cooperation in green development continues to deepen. Apple promotes green transformation within its Chinese supply chain, working with suppliers to achieve carbon neutrality across the entire value chain by 2030. On March 18, Apple announced that its Chinese suppliers saved a record 55 billion liters of freshwater last year through the Supplier Clean Water Program, enough to fill West Lake nearly four times.

In recent years, frequent visits by Apple executives to China have signaled increased investment in R&D and public welfare, marking a phase of comprehensive localization in “R&D + manufacturing + ecosystem + public welfare” within China.

(Author: Ni Yuqing Editor: Bao Fangming)