China on Wednesday made its first public feedback about experiences that the federal government is proscribing the usage of Apple’s iPhones by some state workers, saying that Beijing had famous what it claimed have been safety issues concerning the system.
The feedback by Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Overseas Ministry, have been quick on particulars. She pointed to what she described as “media experiences” about safety flaws within the iPhone, with out elaborating.
She additionally mentioned China had not printed “any legislation, regulation or coverage doc” banning the acquisition or use of international cellphones, together with these made by Apple.
The feedback come after some workers of presidency businesses have mentioned they’ve had been advised to not use iPhones for work. Notices issued to authorities workers and state-owned companies, calling for utilization of home manufacturers of cellphones, have additionally been circulating on-line. China’s often strict web censors have but to delete claims concerning the restrictions.
The corporate’s inventory worth initially fell following the experiences, which had steered that Apple may lose floor in China, the world’s largest smartphone market.
Calling for curbs on the usage of international expertise by authorities workers isn’t new. China has discouraged officers from adopting international cellphones for no less than a decade and advised authorities businesses to interchange American laptop servers and different gadgets with home ones.
The US has additionally positioned restrictions on China’s telecommunications big, Huawei, and issued controls on exports of superior U.S. semiconductor expertise to China. Some U.S. states have moved to prohibit the usage of TikTok, the social media app, by authorities workers.
Nonetheless, any main issues for Apple in China would sign an escalation within the tensions between Beijing and Washington. The American expertise big counts on China for roughly 20 % of its income and far of its manufacturing, which helps tons of of hundreds of native jobs.
Smartphones symbolize the most recent salvo within the U.S.-China tech battle after the launch final week of Huawei’s Mate 60 Professional. Chinese language nationalists celebrated the cellphone’s superior options as an indication that China had developed its personal chips, however the system is now the goal of a U.S. evaluate into whether or not it violates the embargo on U.S. semiconductor expertise imposed by the Biden administration.
Apple has not mentioned something publicly concerning the current experiences. At an occasion in California on Tuesday, the corporate unveiled the iPhone 15, its latest mannequin.
Olivia Wang contributed reporting.