If Apple shifts production from China to the US in response to US President-elect Donald Trump's calls for manufacturing in the US, most of its China-based supply chain makers will not follow suit due to higher labor and overall operating costs, as well as costs incurred in environmental accommodations, according to a qq.com report.

Lens Technology, a China-based supplier of cover glass used in iPhones, indicated that it will not set up production lines in the US due to labor supply, although power and land costs in the US are lower than in China. Lens Technology has 70,000 workers of whom all are below 45 in age, while most labor in the US is of over 45 years old, the company said. In addition to high wage rates, workers in the US are reluctant to accept varying working schedules, Lens Technology added.

An Apple supply chain maker based in Shenzhen, southern China, said that for handset production in particular, there is a complete supply chain in China, covering panels, lens modules, touch panels, flexible PCBs, batteries and assembly. These supply chain makers can respond and adapt quickly. For example, molding metal components to order will take 10 days in Shenzhen but possibly one month in the US, the maker noted.