Apple CEO Tim Cook is in China, where he attended one of the company's 50th anniversary events outside of its Taikoo Li retail store in Chengdu today. The event revolved around a performance by Chinese singer Li Yuchun, and it comes after Apple hosted a surprise Alicia Keys concert at its Grand Central store in New York last week.
According to the China Daily, Cook is scheduled to attend the China Development Forum in Beijing this weekend, and he will also meet with Chinese app developers, government officials, and some of Apple's various partners in the country.
"China is so important for us," said Cook.
Ahead of World Water Day on March 22, Apple announced that its suppliers in China saved a record 55 billion liters of fresh water last year through Apple's Supplier Clean Water Program. As an example, Apple touted a new aluminum anodization process for the MacBook Neo that "continuously recycles and recirculates water."
As of March 15, Apple lowered its standard App Store commission rate for iPhone and iPad apps and in-app purchases from 30% to 25% in mainland China, following "discussions with the Chinese regulator." However, Bloomberg reported that China is urging Apple to further ease App Store restrictions and address "monopolistic" practices.
Finally, Apple is now sharing developer coding videos on the Chinese video sharing platform Bilibili, ahead of WWDC 2026 in June.
It all amounts to a busy week for Apple in China.
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