25th February 2026 – (Cupertino) Apple shareholders have voted against a proposal seeking greater transparency over the company’s reliance on China as its primary manufacturing base. The motion, which called for a report assessing potential risks linked to that dependence, was defeated at the firm’s annual meeting on Tuesday.
The vote came despite Apple’s ongoing efforts over the past decade to diversify its production footprint. The technology giant has expanded manufacturing operations into Vietnam, India and the United States. Earlier this year, Apple confirmed that it would begin assembling certain Mac mini models in the US later in 2026 to serve domestic demand.
During a question-and-answer session with investors, chief executive Tim Cook reiterated that the company intends to continue increasing its annual dividend, while maintaining a strong focus on investment. He emphasised that priority would be given to strategic areas such as artificial intelligence and broader innovation. Cook said investment decisions are driven by the need to strengthen operations, develop new products and services, and ultimately generate long-term shareholder value.
Shareholders approved all four management-backed proposals on the ballot, alongside rejecting the external motion concerning China-related manufacturing exposure. However, opposition to the company’s executive remuneration plan edged higher. Around 8.6 per cent of the more than nine billion votes cast were against the “say on pay” resolution, compared with 7.6 per cent the previous year.
According to Apple’s proxy filing, Cook’s total remuneration for 2025 stood at 74.29 million US dollars, broadly unchanged from the 74.61 million dollars he received in 2024.
