Long tethered to Apple, Chinese suppliers seek new options

Jittery Chinese component suppliers are trying to curb their reliance on Apple, the latest American giant caught in the US-China tug-of-war, as their executives talk up the prospect of making things like automobile parts.

It comes as worsening relations bring renewed scrutiny of the Chinese supply chains of America’s most successful firms — many of which owe their growth to lower-cost mainland component-makers and contract assemblers.

Firms such as Luxshare Precision Industry and GoerTek, which make much of their revenue selling parts and labor to Apple, are also being pinched by a consumer electronics market slowdown and rising labour costs.