Chinese-developed smart manufacturing equipment now accounts for about 75 percent of Apple Inc supply chains' pending on such manufacturing equipment, as Chinese suppliers make progress in sharpening their technological edge and deepening ties with the US tech heavyweight in smart manufacturing.

Isabel Ge Mahe, vice-president and managing director of Apple Greater China, told China Daily at the sidelines of the ongoing first China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing that in the past decades of cooperation between Apple and Chinese suppliers, the trend of localization of intelligent manufacturing equipment has been very obvious.

Previously, intelligent manufacturing equipment in Apple's supply chains was mainly from non-Chinese companies, but now Chinese intelligent manufacturing equipment become more common, she said.

Iris Cui, vice-president of Asia procurement and operations at Apple, said this transformation of intelligent manufacturing is mainly reflected in three aspects: talent, technology, and equipment. In terms of equipment, about 75 percent of Apple supply chains’ spending on smart manufacturing equipment is used to buy Chinese-developed intelligent production equipment.