China bans government officials from using iPhones at work
Against the backdrop of a tech war between Beijing and Washington
According to The Wall Street Journal’s sources, Chinese authorities have ordered central government officials not to use iPhones and other foreign-branded smartphones at work.
The instructions were reportedly sent “in recent weeks.” It is not known how many institutions have received them, but Beijing has been implementing a similar practice for years, banning some officials from using iPhones.
The news of the ban comes amid escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington, which are mired in a technology war. In such circumstances, China is striving for self-sufficiency, which could have a significant impact on Apple, which will account for a fifth of its total revenue in 2022.
If you’re experiencing déjà vu, it’s not surprising – in 2019, Beijing already blacklisted Apple and other foreign companies for government agencies. At that time, the Chinese authorities planned to abandon Western equipment within 3 years in favor of local alternatives. These measures were implemented as part of the 2017 Internet Security Law and were intended to ensure that data is kept within China’s borders and that technology is controlled.
Apple eventually managed to cope with the ban, probably because Foxconn and its other suppliers employ millions of people in China. The tech giant also complied with local laws by removing thousands of programs illegal in the country, such as VPNs.
After the US bans on Huawei and other Chinese companies, Beijing followed suit with a similar embargo on chipmaker Micron. Earlier this week, the story took another twist when Chinese electronics company Huawei released the Mate 60 Pro smartphone using 7-nanometer chips that, upon disassembly, turned out to be more advanced than expected. China has also announced a fund to allocate $40 billion to develop the local chip industry amid continued US trade sanctions.
Tesla is another American company vulnerable to changes in Chinese policy. This country accounted for a significant share of its sales in the first quarter, and it was the only foreign automaker to gain market share in the first half of 2023. Recently, China has restricted the use of electric vehicles from Elon Musk’s company for military personnel and government employees.
China’s ban on foreign-branded phones in government offices mirrors similar restrictions in the United States, such as the use of TikTok on government devices.
