Chinese industry tsar urges Tim Cook to continue investing

Tim Cook is on his second trip to China in 2024, accompanied by COO Jeff Williams, as the duo makes deals and visits important partners in the country. In the latest installment of the current trip, Cook has spent some time with the Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Jin Zhuanglong.

A ministry post to WeChat picked up by Bloomberg states that Apple will "continue to grow its investments in China and help the high-quality development of the supply chain." Jin is said to have urged to Cook that Apple needs to keep up investing in innovation in the country.

This investment has recently included Apple's building of a new research lab in Shenzhen. A dedicated research and development facility dealing with material analysis that allegedly cost over 1 billion yuan ($138 million) to create.

The urge to continue investment may also be due to Apple's gradual shift towards a more globally spread out supply chain, rather than the China-centric approach it currently employs.

The pair also discussed other related topics, including Apple's presence in the territory, cloud services, and securely managing online data.

Wednesday's meeting follows after an already busy itinerary for the CEO. It has included meetings about the use of Apple products to promote sustainable farming.

There has also been an announcement in support of a national parks initiative, and meetings with game developers, a photographer, and a musician.