Apple CEO praises China partners as Beijing applies pressure

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook commended Chinese developers and the company’s partners in the country, days after the ruling party’s flagship newspaper criticized the iPhone maker for monopolistic policies.

Cook, speaking at the China Development Forum in Beijing on Sunday, praised the innovations of Chinese developers and the automation at the country’s manufacturing facilities. He said Apple and China share common goals, including in green development and carbon neutrality.

Apple lowered the fees it collects from app developers in the country earlier this month, a major concession in a hugely lucrative market where the company faced the risk of antitrust intervention by local regulators. Yet after the announcement, the Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper called for a further easing of App Store restrictions and urged the firm to fix “monopolistic” practices — highlighting how Apple may continue to face pressure from Beijing.

“Innovation, green development and education are not separate properties — they are deeply connected,” Cook said. “They represent the vision of progress that we at Apple share, and we are committed to collaborating with our partners across China and with all of you to make that vision a reality.”

An “excellently talented developer community” helps to increase prosperity and opportunity across China, and innovation is transforming its manufacturing sector, Cook said. While the US tech giant builds most of its devices in China, it has diversified its assembly to regions such as Vietnam and India.

“There is a Chinese proverb I love — ‘a single tree does not make a forest,’” Cook said. “Together, I believe we can plant that forest.”

Read More: Apple CEO Visits China Amid Growing Pressure on App Store Policy

Apple has seen its sales growth in China rebound in recent months, helped by demand for the latest iPhone edition and consumers switching from rival devices. Revenue from the country jumped 38% to $25.5 billion in the holiday quarter that ended in December.

Speaking at the same event as Cook, Chinese Premier Li Qiang cited Apple as an example of a company with a highly diversified supply chain.

“If we politicize industrial issues and deliberately weaponize the supply chain, we will only increase costs for various companies and weaken development momentum,” Li said. “China is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with all parties to jointly maintain the stability and security of the global supply chain.”

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