Trump may use Apple Chinese RAM buy as diplomatic tool

A report from a questionable leaker out of China makes the logical claim that the Trump Administration wants to use Apple’s request to buy CXMT memory as a bargaining chip with the Chinese President in September. We’re not sure there’s anything real behind the rumor.

Apple, like other tech companies around the world, has a memory cost problem that it’s trying to solve. So far, that has resulted in Apple making the politically sensitive request to be allowed to buy memory from the currently-blacklisted Chinese producer CXMT.

While Apple has received criticism over the matter for even suggesting the idea, it’s supposedly made some traction with the Trump administration.

According to Weibo leaker “Mobile Chip Expert,” as reported by Wccftech, the White House is looking into the matter and how it can use the situation to its advantage. Specifically, the White House is said to be planning to give Apple the permission it seeks to acquire memory chips from CXMT, as well as YMTC.

The apparent plan is for it to be announced after U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in September. The Weibo leaker says it would be seen as a “gift,” most likely to try to encourage more commercial ties between the two countries.

Furthermore, there is also the assertion that the memory purchases wouldn’t necessarily affect iPhones and products in the United States. It is claimed that the purchased memory would be intended for use in products destined for the Chinese local market.

A plausible claim

At face value, the story seems logical, and possible. Allowing Apple to make large purchases of memory from a Chinese supplier is a big carrot when it comes to international trade relations.

There’s also the matter of the memory’s theoretical usage in China. To Apple, being allowed to use the memory would mean that it won’t be using other suppliers’ chips in China, giving it more supply for devices destined for sale in the rest of the world.

It would also mean that the blacklisted memory wouldn’t be sold in U.S. iPhones. This makes it marginally less of a risk to national security and political pride.

That is, if the story is accurate to begin with.

A questionable source

It is worth bearing in mind that this entire story fundamentally stems from a Weibo account operated by someone called “Mobile Chip Expert.”

AppleInsider regularly writes stories based on Weibo-based leakers, but we often do so at arm’s length. We make a judgment about the claim, check against other leaks, and warn about the accuracy of the source.

We can certainly believe that Wccftech has undergone similar measures when checking out this claim. Indeed, if we were in their position, we’d write about the Weibo post too, complete with warnings about the source.

The problem is that no other major outlet has run with the story.

You would think that “Trump Administration plans Apple memory move as China bargaining chip” would’ve hit other major publications. Especially those who have more thorough checks or their own better-placed sources.

But, at the time of writing, it’s not really become a story elsewhere.

There’s more written about Micron’s 5.5% dip in the first five minutes of trading on Monday, blaming the Wccftech story. Nobody seems to be discussing the story at all, just the impact of it.

It’s entirely possible that a major publication could write about the claim after getting details from its own sources. It could happen within hours, or even later in the week, if it’s true.

All of this is a big “if” though. At the time of this article’s publication, we’re very skeptical.