Tim Cook among few US CEOs attending China business summit

The China Development Forum has returned post-COVID, but other than Apple, notable US companies are either sending relatively minor executives, or boycotting the event entirely.

Tim Cook is a regular attendee of the Forum, and has previously even co-chaired the event. It's an annual conference sponsored by the Chinese government, and has been an opportunity for western corporations to speak with officials, and generally help US/China relations.

According to Bloomberg, however, as the conference returns after a break because of COVID, the attendee list is markedly different to previous years. Tim Cook is scheduled to appear in person, as is Pfizer Inc.'s Albert Bourla, but there are few other high-profile US CEOs going to Beijing.

Reportedly, organizers of the event are claiming that a hundred foreign representatives have registered to attend. However, Bloomberg says three unspecified sources report that American firms want to avoid attention from the US government as trade tensions continue.

Specifically, a number of companies are staying away rather than potentially be targeted by the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. This is a new congressional body led by Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher.

As well as Apple and Pfizer, the preliminary list of key US attendees include Ray Dalio, found of Bridgewater Associates, and Invesco's president, Martin Flangan.

US/China trade tensions have been escalating for some years. At the China Development Forum in 2018, Tim Cook told reporters that he hoped "calm heads" would prevail.

9 Comments

danox 3442 comments · 11 Years

About 1 year ago

Japan, China and South Korea are the second largest area in the world for buying Apple hardware after United States, no surprise Tim Cook is there, in comparison the EU is Android country.

indigohomme 15 comments · 13 Years

Good to see that other companies are boycotting this.

The CCP is the spiritual heir to Hitler: concentration camps, forced labour, and harvesting organs from internees.

Cook snuggling up to China is sickening.

gatorguy 24627 comments · 13 Years

indigohomme said:

Good to see that other companies are boycotting this.
The CCP is the spiritual heir to Hitler: concentration camps, forced labour, and harvesting organs from internees.
Cook snuggling up to China is sickening.

I doubt Mr. Cook is fond of the CCP, the demands it puts on its people and the lack of privacy from the government with little recourse to object.

At the same time, Apple, who is more than just Tim Cook, has chosen to overlook it as much as possible so that the revenues from marketing there can be realized. Money talks. There's probably a limit somewhere as to how much they're willing to kowtow to demands in order to profit but obviously that has not been reached.

Kudos to them for at least beginning to move their product production to other countries so that disruptions to manufacturing can be minimized.

lkrupp 10521 comments · 19 Years

indigohomme said:

Good to see that other companies are boycotting this.
The CCP is the spiritual heir to Hitler: concentration camps, forced labour, and harvesting organs from internees.
Cook snuggling up to China is sickening.

But is it enough for you to stop buying Apple products and boycott the company yourself. Since you only have 10 posts here I wonder if you are even an Apple customer to begin with.

waveparticle 1497 comments · 3 Years

lkrupp said:

indigohomme said:

Good to see that other companies are boycotting this.
The CCP is the spiritual heir to Hitler: concentration camps, forced labour, and harvesting organs from internees.
Cook snuggling up to China is sickening.

But is it enough for you to stop buying Apple products and boycott the company yourself. Since you only have 10 posts here I wonder if you are even an Apple customer to begin with.

He is a Falun Gong addictive.