Foxconn Chairman Gou Meets With Trump

Foxconn said it plans a big increase in investments in the U.S. after billionaire Chairman Terry Gou visited the White House over consecutive days, including a meeting with President Donald Trump, according to Bloomberg.

“We are engaged in discussions with officials at various levels of government regarding our ongoing plans to significantly increase our investments,“ Foxconn, whose main listed unit is Hon Hai, said in a statement after Gou’s second visit. Gou, Taiwan’s richest man, met briefly with Trump on Friday morning “to thank him for his growth and job-creation policies,“ White House spokeswoman Natalie Strom said.

The plan, if it materializes, would mark a victory for Trump, who’s attempting to expand manufacturing in the world’s top economy, even as he seeks to put U.S. corporations first and renegotiate trade deals. Foxconn said it’s evaluating potential locations for setting up manufacturing in the U.S., according to its statement, which gave no additional details.

Trump has publicly called on Apple to move production to the U.S. The plans by Foxconn, which assembles iPhones, iPads and other Apple hardware, mostly in China, to invest in U.S. operations were first reported in December. At that point the company said the scope of a potential investment hadn’t been determined.