Amber Neely
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has gone on record saying that the Chinese will have no reason to keep the iPhone and other Apple products if popular app WeChat is banned.
Tensions between the U.S. and China continue to mount as Trump continues to threaten to ban WeChat, a popular Chinese multi-purpose app. WeChat is commonly used for messaging, social media, and mobile payments, and was developed by Chinese multinational conglomerate Tencent.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry representative Lijian Zhao said in a press conference the Chinese will have no reason to keep iPhones or Apple products should such a ban occur. He cited concerns that U.S. politicians have too much power to supress non-American businesses.
If WeChat is banned, then there will be no reason why Chinese shall keep iPhone and apple products. pic.twitter.com/qkKuMNQ87f
— Lijian Zhao (@zlj517) August 27, 2020
Trump's ban claims that Chinese-owned apps, such as TikTok and WeChat, threaten national security. He has stated that these apps must sell to the United States if they wish to continue their use in the U.S. The Chinese government has taken a firm no-sale stance.
The Trump administration has reportedly reached out to reassure American companies that their Chinese business dealings with messaging monolith WeChat will remain unaffected by a pending U.S. ban. However, if the app were removed from the App Store, it would likely mean a significant drop in iPhone sales — up to 30% globally.
Several major companies in the United States, including Apple, have called for the Trump administration to end an executive order that would see the banning of WeChat and TikTok in the country, under claims it would cause harm to U.S. businesses trying to trade in China.
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64 Comments
Maybe China also will have no problem with Apple moving all iPhone production out of China.
It’s been stated by the feds the ban wouldn’t extend to China in any case. Since China bans certain apps domestically the U. S. doing the same shouldn’t be an issue. (Though my understanding is there’s no basis in reality for the planned ban as there’s no evidence of a security breach).
If a global 30% reduction in iPhone sales was ever iminent, Apple could easily afford to buy WeChat. It would be a good investment and basically a 'no-brainer'!
WeChat is the OS of China. It’s functionally has expanded exponentially since it’s introduction. Many companies in China require payment through the app. It is also well known that it is the Chinese government’s way of tracking all activities of their citizens. It is so far ingrained in their society that it would be nearly impossible for a citizen to not have it installed on their smartphone.
It’s a matter of time before Apple pulls out of China. And all that manufacturing, developer, retail, and R&D investments can find a new home
And it will signal to the rest of the world that China is now closed for business