Tim Cook elected chairman of Chinese business school amidst Hong Kong scrutiny

Image Credit: Tsinghua University

Apple CEO Tim Cook will take on a three-year position as chairman of the board for one of China's top business schools.

Tim Cook has been named chairman of School of Economics and Management, according to the Tsinghua University board meeting summary. Cook was in attendance.

Cook said that the next three years will be spent working to promote development of the university, in hopes of building a world-class school of economics and management. Cook succeeds former chairman Breyer Capital founder and CEO Jim Breyer, who held the position from 2016 until this year.

The promotion comes in a time when Apple faces increased public scrutiny as tensions continue to mount between China and Hong Kong.

At the beginning of October, Apple had removed the controversial HKMap Live app from the App Store. The app allowed users to share information on police whereabouts, alerting others to potential political conflicts. Though it was temporarily reinstated, the app was ultimately removed. Cook later circulated a memo defending the choice.

U.S. lawmakers are currently urging Tim Cook to reinstate the HKMap Live app.