BEIJING – China has ordered officials at central government agencies not to use Apple’s iPhones and other foreign-branded devices for work or bring them to the office, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The orders were given by superiors to their staff in recent weeks, but it is not clear how widely these orders are being distributed, said the journal.
The ban comes ahead of an Apple event next week that analysts believe will be to launch a new line of iPhones, and could trigger concern among foreign companies operating in China as Sino-US tensions escalate.
The report did not name other phonemakers besides Apple.
China’s State Council Information Office could not be immediately reached for comment, and Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
For over a decade, China has been seeking to reduce reliance on foreign technologies, asking state-affiliated firms such as banks to switch to local software and promoting domestic chip manufacturing.
Beijing ratcheted up this campaign in 2020, when its leaders proposed a “dual circulation” growth model to reduce reliance on overseas markets and technology, as its concerns over data security grew.
In May, the country urged big state-owned enterprises to play a key role in its drive to attain self-reliance in technology, raising the stakes in the race amid rifts with the United States.
Tensions between the US and China have been high as Washington works with allies to block China’s access to vital equipment needed to keep its chip industry competitive and Beijing restricts shipments from prominent US companies such as plane-maker Boeing and chip company Micron Technology.
During a visit to China last week, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said American companies have complained to her that China has become “uninvestible”, pointing to fines, raids and other actions that have made it risky to do business in the world’s second-largest economy.
The latest restriction by China mirrors similar bans taken in the US against Chinese smartphone-maker Huawei Technologies and short video platform TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance.
China is one of Apple’s biggest markets and generates nearly one-fifth of its revenue. REUTERS
