Tim Cook Says Chinese Security Talks Were 'Very Open', Bringing Apple Pay to China a Priority

china-flagTim Cook was optimistic about Apple's relationship with China following a meeting with top Chinese government officials in Beijing on Wednesday to discuss data privacy and security. Cook told China's Xinhua news agency (Via Reuters) that he had "very open" talks with a senior official.

Chinese vice premier Ma Kai, a member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, met with the CEO of the world's most valuable company on Wednesday morning. They had discussed a series of topics including privacy and security. Cook described it as "very open", "fascinating" and "impressive", but he declined specifics.

As part of the interview, Cook also confirmed Apple's plan to launch Apple Pay and other technologies in China saying, "China is a really key market for us. Everything we do, we are going to work it here. Apple Pay is on the top of the list." Cook spoke to Xinhua News during his 4-day-long trip to China, which saw the CEO also visit a Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou City.

China is an increasingly important market for the Cupertino company, which now has 16 percent of the smartphone market share behind Samsung (23 percent) and Xiaomi (21 percent). Apple plans to expand its presence even further in the country by opening 25 new stores in the next two years.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

ios 18 4 carplay

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:23 pm PST by
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay. As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...
prioritize notifications ios 18 4

Everything New in iOS 18.4 Beta 1

Friday February 21, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Apple finally released the first beta of iOS 18.4 to developers for testing purposes, and while the beta is lacking some of the Apple Intelligence features we were hoping for, there are some notable new additions. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Priority Notifications - Apple Intelligence There is a new Priority Notifications feature that can show you your most...
iphone 17 lineup cad render majin bu

Revealed: Entire iPhone 17 Lineup's Striking New Camera Designs

Monday February 24, 2025 2:49 am PST by
A new CAD render of all the devices in Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 lineup has been shared online by leaker Majin Bu, specifically showing the allegedly different rear camera system designs of the standard iPhone 17, all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, and the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models. The leaker Majin Bu has had some hits in the past, but some of his information has been wrong,...
ios 18 4 ambient music

iOS 18.4 Adds New Ambient Music Feature

Friday February 21, 2025 11:06 am PST by
In iOS 18.4, there's a new Ambient Music option that can be added to Control Center. There are four different sound categories, including Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing. Each category can be added to Control Center separately, and tapping one plays a random selection of sounds or music from that particular category. You can't choose what's playing from Control Center, but if...
airtag orange

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

Monday February 24, 2025 6:11 am PST by
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe. Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2: With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Denies Speculation Surrounding iPhone 16e's Lack of MagSafe

Friday February 21, 2025 8:01 am PST by
Apple has confirmed that its custom-designed C1 modem in the iPhone 16e has nothing to do with the device's lack of MagSafe support, according to Macworld. Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, there was some speculation online about how MagSafe magnets might have interfered with the C1 modem's cellular connectivity performance, and this was considered to be a potential reason for the...
macbook air pink

M4 MacBook Air Marketing, Sales, Retail Teams Prepare for March Debut

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:14 pm PST by
Apple has started preparing its marketing, sales, and retail teams as it gears up for the March release of new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models featuring M4 chips, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that current models are also seeing inventory drawn down at stores, which is another signal that a launch is nearing. A launch has...

Top Rated Comments

cameronjpu Avatar
135 months ago
The headline just proves that Tim Cook knows how to play the game. There's no way he actually believes that the talks were very open, but saying that they were is crucial to stroking the Chinese politicians.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
135 months ago
The headline just proves that Tim Cook knows how to play the game. There's no way he actually believes that the talks were very open, but saying that they were is crucial to stroking the Chinese politicians.

Probably true. Also true is how important China is for Apple. This means that like it or not, Tim has got to play the game. And play it well.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
El Hikaru Avatar
135 months ago
I think Cook is doing the right track talking to them directly. In China, tight relationship is a key to do just about anything. Close relationship is more important than honesty, or legitimacy. There are no contract papers when you rent an apartment, or order batch of merchandises without UCC like regulation. Don't be upset just because Chinese people turn their back on you. You just have not build enough friendship before dealing business with them.
I leaned from my wife who is a Chinese...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xero9 Avatar
135 months ago
If this is the case, then maybe there is hope for Europe/Canada after all!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zin Avatar
135 months ago
Wrong. You neglect to consider the Crown Corporation with its worldwide chain of central banks including the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve. There is no free market anywhere any more, and your understanding of world finance and economy is very shallow.

It is interesting that you consider the poster's understanding of world finance to be shallow when you are simply repeating a conspiracy view that was hijacked by anti-government anarchists a long time ago.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mums Avatar
135 months ago
It has the most people, so you would expect it to be the biggest market ;).

Umm... wrong. Japan has only one twelfth the population compared to China, and is still a more powerful market. Germany, France, UK - all much smaller than China. Not understanding your illogical statement.

----------

Not strange at all. It's the language of capitalism. We should be very aware and used to that here in the West. You buy key assets therefore you control. End of.

Wrong. You neglect to consider the Crown Corporation with its worldwide chain of central banks including the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve. There is no free market anywhere any more, and your understanding of world finance and economy is very shallow.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)