Apple CEO Tim Cook will attend China's state-run internet conference next week, reports the Wall Street Journal. The annual World Internet Conference starts on Sunday in Wuzhen and is organized by the central government's Cyberspace Administration.

According to the conference's website, other foreign executives and officials set to attend include Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Facebook VP Vaughan Smith, LinkedIn co-founder and VP Allan Blue, and Microsoft executive VP Harry Shum.

Screen Shot
The event will host a range of discussions including the future of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and methods of combating criminal activity and terrorism online, all of which feed into the summit's main aim of advancing the digital economy "for openness and shared benefits". What the press material doesn't mention is the Cyberspace Administration's role in online censorship and its history of blocking access within China to unapproved sites and internet services.

Skype became the latest victim of its strict internet filters when it was removed from the App Store last month. Earlier this year, Apple was forced to remove many VPN apps from the App Store in China due to the administration's regulations, while other apps affected in the past or present include WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and the New York Times app.

During a Q3 earnings call in August, Cook said Apple believes in engaging with governments around the world even when it disagrees with rules or restrictions. Regarding the removal of VPN apps from China's App Store, Cook said that over time Apple hoped to see the restriction loosened, because "innovation requires freedom to collaborate and communicate".

Some folks have tried to link it to the [Apple-FBI dispute] last year — they're very different. In the case of the US, the law in the US supported us. It was very clear. In the case of China, the law is also very clear there, and like we would if the US changed the law here, we would have to abide by it in both cases. That doesn't mean we don't state our point of view, in the appropriate way — we always do that.

To what extent Cook will voice concerns about Chinese law at the summit is unclear, however his attendance reflects the country's growing importance to Apple's business as it seeks to boost revenue in the region. Apple shipped an estimated 11 million iPhones in China last quarter, up 40 percent from the year-ago quarter, according to research firm Canalys. The strong growth put an end to six consecutive quarters of declining iPhone sales in the region. However, that growth could be short lived.

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus sales have quickly "run out of steam" in mainland China, despite being heavily discounted by online retailers, according to the South China Morning Post. And while the iPhone X could help Apple in the fourth quarter, its high price and supply constraints might inhibit the company's growth in China in the short term, according to Canalys.

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.

Top Rated Comments

alex2792 Avatar
96 months ago
No, but Apple, especially during Cook's CEO reign has publicly inserted itself into social & political debate with regards to equality, neutrality, opposing built-in backdoors for authorities, and maintaining 100% encryption... Most other companies are either not vocal about it, or just don't care.

But all of that goes out the window when they try to invest in China and get their devices manufactured there because of cost. They have a massive amount of resources, so if they really wanted to, they could set up manufacturing in various countries around the world.

But they won't, because the board of directors would never allow it, because they represent the shareholders and not people's rights. It's all about the benjamins, much of which is never taxed properly because of Apple's various tax avoidance schemes.
Tim Cook is a phony, if he really believed in all the SJW crap then he would be personally selling gay pride watch bands in Saudi Arabia while telling the Chinese how they need to hire more minorities to “diversify” the workforce at Foxconn plants.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HiVolt Avatar
96 months ago

Do you also demand every other company do this, and are all of your clothes made in the USA and your food grown domestically? If not, whatever.
No, but Apple, especially during Cook's CEO reign has publicly inserted itself into social & political debate with regards to equality, neutrality, opposing built-in backdoors for authorities, and maintaining 100% encryption... Most other companies are either not vocal about it, or just don't care.

But all of that goes out the window when they try to invest in China and get their devices manufactured there because of cost. They have a massive amount of resources, so if they really wanted to, they could set up manufacturing in various countries around the world.

But they won't, because the board of directors would never allow it, because they represent the shareholders and not people's rights. It's all about the benjamins, much of which is never taxed properly because of Apple's various tax avoidance schemes.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MH01 Avatar
96 months ago
Tim : the Internet will be a safer place when we trust each other, apple has started this by allowing root access in macOS ... macOS Vista shipping now..... looks at Microsoft CEO... smiles ....
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IPPlanMan Avatar
96 months ago
Hey Tim:

Manufacture your phones in the USA, and refuse to ship to China until they change their ways.

Sure you’ll take a hit on revenues, and you’ll have to invest in domestic manufacturing and adjust your pricing, but do you care more about your “Freedom” values or the money?

Put up or shut up on your virtue-signaling.

Thanks.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
96 months ago
China: Censorship

Cook: Yeah..
China: Sovereign nation

Apple: Not a nation and not from China

US: Not the world’s masters
[doublepost=1512229964][/doublepost]
Hey Tim:

Manufacture your phones in the USA, and refuse to ship to China until they change their ways.

Sure you’ll take a hit on revenues, and you’ll have to invest in domestic manufacturing and adjust your pricing, but do you care more about your “Freedom” values or the money?

Put up or shut up on your virtue-signaling.

Thanks.
Do you also demand every other company do this, and are all of your clothes made in the USA and your food grown domestically? If not, whatever.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haruhiko Avatar
96 months ago
World Intranet Conference
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...