Several state-owned firms and government departments in at least eight provinces have instructed their employees to use Chinese-made smartphones and other mobile devices over the past month, according to people familiar with the matter.
The new campaign to abandon Apple technology coincided with the growing popularity of products from the Chinese manufacturer Huawei. The Xi Jinping administration has decided to expand a ban on the use of foreign devices to try to reduce the leakage of sensitive data, sources said.
Additionally, in December, a slew of smaller firms and organizations issued their own verbal directives to ban Apple technology, signaling a new, broader movement to ban U.S. devices in China.
The Chinese government has previously denied reports of restrictions on iPhone use.
“China has not issued laws or regulations prohibiting the purchase of Apple or foreign brand phones,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said during a press briefing.
The extent of the bans in different provinces is unclear, but collectively they pose a major challenge for Samsung and Apple, which are struggling to maintain sales growth in a key market.
2023-12-16 01:33:51
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