Apple CEO praises China partners as Beijing applies pressure
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Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the company and China share common goals.
PHOTO: AFP
Apple chief executive Tim Cook commended Chinese developers and the company’s partners in the country after a week of rising pressures in one of its biggest markets.
Mr Cook, speaking at the China Development Forum in Beijing on March 22, praised the innovations of Chinese developers and the automation at the country’s manufacturing facilities. He said Apple and China share common goals, including green development and carbon neutrality.
Apple lowered the fees it collects from app developers in the country earlier in March, 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 Chinese ruling party’s flagship 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,” Mr 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 increase prosperity and opportunity across China, and innovation is transforming its manufacturing sector, he added.
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,’” Mr Cook said. “Together, I believe we can plant that forest.”
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 per cent to US$25.5 billion (S$32.7 billion) in the holiday quarter that ended in December.
Speaking at the same event as Mr Cook, Chinese Premier Li Qiang cited Apple as an example of a company with a highly diversified supply chain.
“If we politicise industrial issues and deliberately weaponise the supply chain, we will only increase costs for various companies and weaken development momentum,” he said.
“China is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with all parties to jointly maintain the stability and security of the global supply chain.” BLOOMBERG
