JD Vance believes that Apple profits from the use of slave labor in China: "That's pretty sick."

• On Thursday, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, stated that he believes Apple profits "from Chinese slave labor."
• Previously, Apple declared that it had not discovered any proof of forced labor at any of its locations.
• The iPhone-maker produces many of its devices in partnership with manufacturers overseas.

On CNBC's "Squawk Box," Republican vice presidential nominee Ohio Sen. JD Vance stated that he believes companies benefit from "slave labor" in China while discussing taxing companies that rely on manufacturing in the country.

I don't believe Apple is an evil company, but I do think they sometimes benefit from Chinese slave labor, which is not right. I believe that companies operating in American markets should pay American workers a fair wage. Apple raised the starting wage for retail employees to $22 an hour in May 2022.

Apple has previously declared that it has not discovered any evidence of forced labor in any of its operations. In 2021, the company was requested by the former chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China to collaborate with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to verify that its supply chain was free from forced labor.

Apple did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Apple has historically relied on China for the production of its devices, but as relations between the U.S. and China have strained, the company has worked to diversify its supply chain by expanding manufacturing to countries like Vietnam and India.

Over the last fiscal year, $14 billion worth of iPhones were produced in India by Apple.

Vance stated on Thursday that he intends to increase tariffs on companies that outsource jobs overseas. Previously, former President Trump had threatened to impose additional tariffs of 60% to 100% on goods from China and 10% to 20% on imported goods.

Lina Khan's antitrust crackdown and stricter rules on mergers received support from Vance.

"Vance stated that the censorship of American citizens by companies like Facebook is a significant issue, making it more difficult for Americans to participate in their political process. He also expressed his belief that an antitrust solution should be implemented to address this problem."

Google representatives did not respond to CNBC's request for comment.

On Thursday, Vance will host two fundraisers in New York City, each expected to raise over $1 million for Trump's presidential campaign, with support from top financial industry leaders.