Tim Cook again meets with Chinese minister over Apple's future

Apple in China

For the second time in 2023, Apple CEO Tim Cook has met with China's commerce minister to discuss US/China relations, and Apple's presence in the country.

Cook met with commerce minister Wang Wentao in March 2023, after being one of the few US CEOs to attend China's reopened annual business summit. At the time, it was said that Cook would talk with the US about trade relations, while China told Cook that Apple should beef up its security practices.

During his current trip to China, Reuters says that Cook and Wang Wentao have met again.

According to a short statement by the commerce ministry, seen by Reuters, the two discussed both Apple's development in China, and the overall relations between the country and the US.

Reportedly, Wang is said to have emphasized that China wants to continue opening up the country and expanding market access it. Wang is said to have told Cook that China welcomes multinational companies like Apple, and believes working with them leads to a win-win development.

Apple's new iPhone 15 range has reportedly not had the same initial success in China that its predecessor, the iPhone 14, did. At the same time, Apple has protested against new Chinese laws meaning App Store developers must get a licence, but it has begun complying with the regulation.