Jeff Williams, Apple's Chief Operating Officer (COO), has praised the upgrade of China's manufacturing industry, describing the shift from manual production lines to advanced lights-out factories as "exciting."

Williams was impressed by the level of automation and smart manufacturing he encountered when visiting the factory of an Apple supplier, Lingyi iTECH, in South China's Guangdong province on Thursday.

Out of Apple's top 187 suppliers, 157 have manufacturing operations in China, he said.

Williams recalled that when Apple first entered the Chinese market, its operations were confined to basic manufacturing, while the company's presence in China now encompasses retail, research and development, and an extensive supply chain network.

"It's amazing to see the evolution through the years as we continue to pack more and more technology into the products, and see that this is only enabled by the advances in manufacturing that I see with our partners, including here in China," he said.

Initially emerging as a "world factory," Guangdong has since evolved, striving to establish itself as a global scientific and technological powerhouse. The province is home to over 75,000 high-tech enterprises, including world-class companies such as EV manufacturer BYD, drone pioneer DJI, and smart device provider Honor.