Apple’s Cook meets top Chinese officials in charm offensive but offers no AI update
Cook was among 80 company executives who attended the China Development Forum, an annual event to facilitate dialogue with global investors
Tim Cook’s first visit to China this year saw the Apple chief executive meet several high-level government officials and take part in promotional events, as the US tech giant awaits approval to add artificial intelligence (AI) functions to iPhones sold on the mainland.
Cook was among 80 multinational company executives who attended the China Development Forum, an annual event hosted by the Chinese government to facilitate dialogue with global investors. Premier Li Qiang delivered the keynote speech at the forum on Sunday. According to the official Xinhua news agency, Cook and executives from Pfizer, Brookfield, Medtronic, Mastercard and Eli Lilly met Vice-Premier He Lifeng on Sunday afternoon.
Cook continued his China tour on Wednesday, visiting Zhejiang University campus in Hangzhou province during the morning, where he announced a donation of 30 million yuan (US$4.13 million) to the school for app development, according to official media Hangzhou Daily.
On Sunday, Cook also met Ren Hongbin, chairman of the state-controlled China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, where the CEO said Apple could contribute to “stable, healthy and sustainable” US-China ties, according to a statement from the Chinese agency.
Cook had a separate meeting with China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Monday, at which Wang asked Apple to increase investment in China, according to a Chinese language statement from the ministry. Cook said at the meeting that Apple’s presence in China was an example of “win-win collaboration” and that it would continue to invest in Chinese supply chains and research to play a positive role for the development of US-China economic and trade relations, according to the statement.