The billionaire founder of Apple’s largest supplier has asked the US company to move part of its sprawling production chain from China to neighbouring Taiwan.

Apple has asked its largest suppliers to consider the costs of shifting 15% to 30% of its output from China to south-east Asia in a dramatic shake-up of its production chain, Japan’s Nikkei newspaper has reported.

For investors in Taiwan’s $841bn (€745.5bn) stock market, Tim Cook matters more than president Tsai Ing-wen.