China cracks down on iPhones for government workers
Barnini Chakraborty
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China has reportedly ordered its central government agencies to ban the use of iPhones as part of a countrywide campaign to cut reliance on foreign technology and enhance cybersecurity.
The move away from iPhones and other foreign-branded devices is similar to the bans the United States instituted against Huawei Technologies in November and preventing government officials from using Chinese-owned TikTok at work in March.
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The tit for tat comes as relations between China and the U.S. have become increasingly icy and both superpowers have expressed concern about data leaks.
China had previously restricted the use of iPhones for some agencies, but the new order widens the directive. Staff members were given the news by their bosses that they couldn’t use the popular Apple product over the past few weeks, according to the Wall Street Journal, which added that it wasn’t clear exactly how broadly the orders were being distributed or how they would be enforced.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has been emphasizing national security and a return to Chinese-owned computers, software, and operating systems the government can thoroughly vet and control. Beijing has also been asking its banks to switch to local software and to promote domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing.
In 2020, Chinese leaders introduced the idea of a “dual circulation” growth model that would reduce its reliance on overseas markets and technologies.
In 2021, Beijing restricted the use of Tesla vehicles by Chinese military employees and staffers of other state-owned companies following concerns that data collected by Tesla could be used to gather information on national security measures.
China’s most recent move to ban the iPhone comes just days ahead of a launch event where Apple is expected to unveil four new iPhones: iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. China is one of the largest manufacturing hubs for iPhones and is also one of the company’s biggest markets and generates about a fifth of the tech titan’s revenue.
Tom Forte, a senior research analyst at D.A. Davidson, told Reuters that China’s ban “should inspire companies to diversity both their supply chains and customer concentrations to be less dependent on China in the event the tensions get worse” between the two countries.
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“Even Apple is not immune … in China, where it employs hundreds of thousands, if not more than a million, workers to assemble its products through its relationship with Foxconn,” he added.
Calls to Apple for comment were not returned.