Trump asked Tim Cook if Apple could ‘get involved’ in building 5G networks in US

US President Donald Trump wants Apple CEO Tim Cook to “get involved” in developing 5G across the US in an apparent bid by Washington to push against the “threat” of Chinese tech giants.

Trump tweeted on Thursday morning that he had asked Cook about becoming involved with 5G during his visit to Austin, Texas, where he visited Apple facilities and discussed the construction of a new $1 billion, three-million-square-foot campus.

“I asked Tim Cook to see if he could get Apple involved in building 5G in the US. They have it all – Money, Technology, Vision & Cook!” Trump tweeted.

During my visit yesterday to Austin, Texas, for the startup of the new Mac Pro, & the discussion of a new one $billion campus, also in Texas, I asked Tim Cook to see if he could get Apple involved in building 5G in the U.S. They have it all - Money, Technology, Vision & Cook!l

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2019

The US president said yesterday that he was considering exempting Apple from tariffs imposed on China as a trade war between Washington and Beijing rages on. He told reporters, however, that he hoped some day “we’re going to see Apple building plants in our country, not in China.”

Apple received some tariff exemptions in September but not all of its requests were approved.

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Trump’s suggestion on 5G comes days after US Attorney General William Barr warned that Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE “cannot be trusted” and called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ban rural telecoms from using their products.

Washington has been waging war against Chinese tech companies, accusing them of spying for Beijing and attempting to pressure and even threaten other countries to stop working with them to build their own 5G networks, though so far Trump’s efforts to scaremonger against Huawei have been unsuccessful.

The US banned Huawei from selling its telecoms equipment in the US earlier this year.

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