March 25, 2023, 05:37 PM
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Apple's CEO Tim Cook praised China for its "rapid innovation and its long ties" with the U.S. company.
On Mar. 24, 2023, Cook was spotted visiting the Apple Store in Beijing's Sanlitun area, the largest Apple shop in Asia, South China Morning Post (SCMP) said.
CEO @tim_cook visited @Apple store in Beijing shopping area Sanlitun, #China media report. He is here to attend government-backed business forum this weekend, local news outlets say. video h/t @TencentGlobal Tencent News $AAPL pic.twitter.com/aJKEAS67Hy
— Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) March 24, 2023
2023 marks Apple's 30th anniversary in the Chinese market, as it opened its Beijing office in 1993.
According to Reuters, Cook was in Beijing to attend the China Development Forum, a government-organised event.
It will be the first offline China Development Forum in three years, SCMP wrote.
In addition to Apple, the event was attended by senior government officials and CEOs of firms such as Procter & Gamble, Blackstone, Bridgewater Associates, Pfizer and BHP, Reuters and SCMP reported.
Cook was quoted by The Paper news outlet saying, "innovation is developing rapidly in China, and I believe it will further accelerate".
In his speech at the forum, Reuters said, Cook also discussed education and the need for young people to learn programming critical thinking skills.
The local media reports stated that Apple plans to increase spending on its rural education programme to 100 million yuan (about S$19 million).
Contrast between treatments of Apple CEO in Beijing & TikTok CEO in Washington
Cook’s visit has "raised eyebrows in some quarters", given the ongoing tech battle between the United States and China, CNN reported.
This came a day after U.S. lawmakers grilled TikTok's chief executive Chew Shou Zi in a five-hour hearing on possible influence by China's government on the app and its alleged detrimental effects on youth’s mental health.
Chinese state-run media, Global Times, reported the apparent contrast between the two CEO’s experiences.
“TikTok CEO was under siege at the US hearing, while Apple CEO was enthusiastically welcomed by people at its flagship Chinese store. This shows that China is the one that is actually practicing fair and free trade,” the netizen was quoted in The Global Times.
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