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Apple CEO Tim Cook meets China’s information technology minister as Beijing demands app store compliance

  • Cook said Apple will continue to support its supply chain partners, and will create a better ecosystem for developers in China, according to MIIT
  • In August, the ministry issued a notice requiring all apps in China to register with Chinese authorities by the end of March 2024

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Apple CEO Tim Cook holds an iPhone 15 Pro Max during an event at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, on September 12, 2023. Photo: Bloomberg
Iris Dengin Shenzhen
Apple chief executive Tim Cook met China’s information technology minister on his second trip to the country this year after the regulator demanded that all apps on the mainland, including those on the US firm’s App Store, be vetted by authorities.
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In a meeting on Thursday with Jin Zhuanglong, who heads the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Cook said Apple will continue to support its supply chain partners in China and help them grow, and that it will create a better ecosystem for local developers, according to a statement from the ministry.

In August, the MIIT issued a notice requiring all apps in China to “register” with mainland authorities by the end of March 2024. Apple later updated its app store rules asking app developers to obtain proper Chinese licensing before they could be available for downloads, a move that fanned concerns that domestic consumers’ access to foreign apps would be denied.

The ministry’s statement about Cook did not mention the new app rules.

According to the statement, Cook said Apple would actively be involved in China’s high-quality development and contribute to building an eco-friendly and intelligent manufacturing industry in the country.

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