Mubasher: Apple is aiming to move the manufacturing operations of its new flagship Mac Pro computer to China out of the US, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Friday.

The iPhone maker tapped contractor Quanta Computer to build the new $6,000 desktop computer, while it aims to expand its production at a plant close to Shanghai, the WSJ said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The plan came at the time when US President Donald Trump has hiked tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods to 25%, threatening to slap an additional $300 billion with new duties.

“Like all of our products, the new Mac Pro is designed and engineered in California and includes components from several countries including the US,” spokesman at Apple told the WSJ.

Last week, Nikkei Asian Review reported that the US tech giant asked its major suppliers to assess the cost implications of shifting 15% to 30% of their output capacity outside China to Southeast Asia.

It is worth noting that China is a key market for Apple as well as a major production hub for its devices.

In the first quarter of this year, nearly 18% of Apple’s revenue was generated from Greater China.