China Notes 'Security Incidents' With iPhones as Agencies Bar Staff From Use
China Notes 'Security Incidents' With iPhones as Agencies Bar Staff From Use - Beijing on Sept. 13 seemingly offered a rationale behind the state's partial ban on iPhones while denying that it would outright ban Apple products.“We noticed that there have been many media reports a...
China Notes 'Security Incidents' With iPhones as Agencies Bar Staff From Use
Beijing on Sept. 13 seemingly offered a rationale behind the state's partial ban on iPhones while denying that it would outright ban Apple products.
“We noticed that there have been many media reports about security incidents concerning Apple phones,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday. Bloomberg reported that the official English translation of the remarks omitted the reference to media reports.
“China has not issued laws and regulations to ban the purchase of Apple or foreign brands’ phones,” Ms. Mao said, adding that all companies operating in China need to adhere to regulations, and the government places “great importance” on security.
Swapping Apple for Huawei
According to the "China in Focus" program on NTD, the sister media outlet of The Epoch Times, the order to stop using iPhones had already been in play in certain regions. Still, Beijing seems to be pushing for it earnestly, with the ban applying to work devices in government agencies and some state companies nationwide.Ahead of Apple's Sept. 12 iPhone 15 launch event, Huawei also unveiled new smartphones.
“China is roughly spending as much in subsidies as the rest of the world combined,” Chris Miller, author of “Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology,” told Bloomberg. “So the numbers are absolutely enormous.”
For comparison, the 2022 U.S. CHIPS and Science Act granted American companies $39 billion in manufacturing incentives. The concern is that if Huawei buys up and builds factories and facilities under other company names, it may find ways around the U.S. trade rules. This may allow it to purchase American technology and chipmaking equipment unnoticed.
Apple's China Market
China is one of Apple's biggest markets, responsible for nearly 20 percent of the Cupertino-based company's revenue. While some workers are now keeping two phones—an iPhone for personal use and a Huawei phone for work—it's unclear whether the ban could become official or expanded.Security
Apple has for years kept Chinese customers' data locally on Chinese servers run by a Chinese state-owned company, adhering to Beijing's wish to not allow information past its borders.This local storage means that although the United States has laws against companies sharing data with Chinese authorities, Beijing can demand the data from the server storage company rather than Apple.