Trade war prompts Apple to reconsider Chinese supply chain

Potential battery fires force Apple to recall 2015 15-inch MacBook Pros
Laptops labelled mid-2015 to be sent away for a fortnight.

Apple is reportedly considering a shift in hardware production from China in light of the ongoing trade battle between the United States and the country.

According to the Nikkei Asian Review, the iPad and iPhone maker has asked major suppliers to investigate the potential cost of shifting between 15 and 30 percent of hardware manufacture out of the country to different facilities in Southeast Asia.

Manufacturing partners including Foxconn, Pegatron, Quanta Computer, and Compal Electronics are among those asked to conduct such reviews.

The request has been made in light of the business tension and uncertainty surrounding the tit-for-tat tariff changes and political fighting between the US and China.

See also: Three big iPhone problems Apple might not be able to fix

Apple, alongside Keurig Dr Pepper, Dollar Tree, Fitbit, and other companies, has recently petitioned the US government to drop a planned $300…