Tim Cook surprises gamers at Apple's Taikoo Li store in China

Apple CEO Tim Cook began an unannounced trip to China with a visit to an Apple Store where gamers were competing in an "Honor of Kings" tournament.

"Honor of Kings" is a game by Tencent which has been a phenomenal success, earning $2.5 billion in 2019 alone. In his surprise visit, Cook cheered on the gamers and later had a short video posted to Chinese social media site Weibo.

"The action-packed Honor of Kings started here in Chengdu and is now a global phenomenon on the App Store," posted Cook. "Thank you TiMi Studio Group and all the talented gamers who were competing at Apple Taikoo Li Chengdu."

"The energy tonight was off the charts!" he added.

Cook then continued his trip with a visit to forests of Sichuan where he met with representatives of the China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD).

"Apple has been working with CFRD to support rural development in Sichuan for a decade," said Cook. "Thank you Xiaolong and Mi Ping for showing me how you are using iPad to transform farming in the area and provide more opportunities to get this amazing Sweet Dew tea to even more of your customers across the country!"

Tim Cook visiting forests in Sichuan

The iPad was also at the heart of Cook's next stop, to a school.

"The students at No. 4 Elementary School in Yucheng District, Ya'an, are using iPads to do some incredible things in the classroom — from learning to code to programming and flying drones to creating art that honors the local culture," he wrote. "At Apple, we're proud to support their learning."

So far, Cook's tour has been around the Sichuan region of China. It's not known whether his trip will go anywhere else, nor whether there was a specific reason for him visiting the country now.

Separately, it has now been reported that sales of the iPhone 15 range have failed to match those of the iPhone 14 in China. The country's government has also been imposing new legal requirements on App Store developers, which Apple has protested against, but finally began enforcing.