Apple CEO Tim Cook said today that the US tech group is trying to "take advantage of the opportunities offered by the opening of China" and will continue to increase investment in the Asian country.
The statements of the American businessman were published on the official account on the Chinese social network Weibo of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, after a meeting between Cook and Jin Zhuanglong, responsible for the portfolio.
Weibo is the social network X (formerly Twitter), censored in China.
During the meeting, the two assessed Apple's operations in the country and discussed the management of data security on their respective networks, as well as the cloud services that the company offers in China.
Jin said Beijing continues to encourage foreign investment through the "orderly opening of its telecommunications sector" and expressed hope that Apple will increase cooperation with local companies and strengthen investment in innovation.
Cook reiterated the company’s commitment to the Chinese market, assuring that it will continue to invest in facilities and operations to strengthen participation.
As part of the visit, Cook participated in a series of activities in Beijing. On Monday, he announced his arrival through a video on Weibo, in which he is seen walking through a 'hutong', the traditional neighborhoods of Beijing, with photographer Chen Man.
The next day, he met with Chinese college students who are using Apple products to promote sustainable farming practices.
Cook last visited China last March, when he opened a new Apple store in the eastern city of Shanghai and attended a forum in the Chinese capital, along with other senior executives.
Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) is Apple's third largest market, behind the United States and Europe.
The tech company faces pressures in the world's second-largest economy, where, according to data from Counterpoint Research, it was just the sixth-largest seller of mobile phones in the second quarter, compared with the third, in the same period last year.
Apple reported in August a net profit of 79 billion dollars (73 billion euros), in the first nine months of the financial year (and not of the calendar year), an increase of 7%, compared to the previous year.
China was the only market to reduce sales in the quarter, ahead of increases recorded in Japan and the rest of Asia-Pacific, Apple said in a statement.
Cook this year embarked on a campaign to reverse the situation, announcing the creation of a new research and development (R&D) lab in the southeastern city of Shenzhen and the expansion of the one the company already has in Shanghai.
