As we know, to Apple has extensive relationships with China. Most of the company’s products are manufactured in the Asian country, which generates great dependence on Apple. The company has also caved in to several demands from the authoritarian Chinese government regarding data storage, which has raised privacy concerns.
Despite the criticism, the Cupertino giant continues to cultivate ties with China, so much so that the CEOChief executive officeror executive director”>1 da Apple, Tim Cookis in the country for the China Development Forum 2023. With the participation of more than 100 representatives from all over the world, the idea of the event is to unite business and academic leaders with the leaders of the Chinese government, who communicate the country’s political orientation.
In addition to going to the Forum, Cook also took advantage of the trip to visit Apple Sanlitun, in Beijing. As reported by Patently Applehe went to a session of the Today at Apple related to a project, greatly enlivening the store’s atmosphere.
This is the first time in three years that Cook has been to China, as well as the first time the event has taken place in person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As pointed out by Bloomberg, due to the strain in relations between the United States and China, many heads of American companies are avoiding going there. In addition to Apple’s CEO, the leader of Pfizer will also participate in the Forum.
In any case, Cook seemed to be weighing these issues and the importance of China to Apple, so he decided to attend the event. The government also seems to value the company’s presence in the country: China Daily (which is part of the Chinese state media), for example, highlights how important China is to Apple, as well as opportunities in which the country stood out in the company’s creations.
It is worth remembering that American congressmen who are not very sympathetic to China will certainly be keeping an eye on those who have closer ties with the country, which was already one of the topics of a meeting between Cook and US congressmen. With the problems involving the manufacture of iPhones and MacBooks during the pandemic, Apple itself is looking to reduce its dependence on China, but this process will not be easy.
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