Comrade Tim: Apple CEO Visits China, Vows to Keep Investing in Communist Country

Apple CEO Tim Cook met with China’s Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong in Beijing this to discuss the company’s presence in the country, data security, and cloud services. The executive dubbed “Tim Apple” by President Donald Trump said, “Apple will continue to grow its investments in China and help the high-quality development of the supply chain.”

Bloomberg reports that during his second trip to China this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook held discussions with a senior Chinese official about the tech giant’s investments, data security, and cloud services in the country. The meeting took place in Beijing on Wednesday between Cook and China’s Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong, as reported by the ministry’s WeChat account.

According to the WeChat post, Cook stated that “Apple will continue to grow its investments in China and help the high-quality development of the supply chain,” although no further details were provided. In turn, Jin reportedly encouraged Cook to increase Apple’s investment in innovation within the country.

Cook’s arrival in China was announced on Tuesday when he shared several photos from his visit, including stops at an Apple store in Beijing and a suburban organic farm. In one of the images, Cook was accompanied by Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer.

In recent years, the Chinese government has tightened its control over data flow. To comply with local regulations that require global companies to store information within the country, Apple announced plans to build its first data center in China in 2017. The company later agreed to shift the storage of Chinese users’ iCloud data to server farms operated by Guizhou Cloud Big Data, a company with ties to the local government.

As the world’s largest smartphone market, China remains Apple’s most significant market outside the United States. The company supports millions of jobs in the country, making it a crucial player in the Chinese economy.