> The last thing China wants during a trade war is to have the 3 million people in Apple's supply chain unemployed and angry.
As an autocracy, China could easily compensate workers for any loss of work. But another obvious answer is that if Apple were banned in China, Huawei and Xiaomi would pick up the slack.
If China really wanted to, they could shut down all iPhone production for the immediate future.
If China shut down apple then you would see company/capital flight from China like you've never before seen in history. The communist party is powerful but I doubt if they could handle a 20% spike in unemployment of some of the best jobs in the country.
As an autocracy, China could easily compensate workers for any loss of work. But another obvious answer is that if Apple were banned in China, Huawei and Xiaomi would pick up the slack.
If China really wanted to, they could shut down all iPhone production for the immediate future.