Apple CEO Tim Cook on Saturday used his first public remarks in China in recent years to praise the country for its rapid innovation and its long ties with the US iPhone-maker, local media reported.
“Innovation is developing rapidly in China and I believe it will further accelerate,” Cook was quoted by The Paper news outlet as saying.
During his speech, Cook also discussed education and the need for young people to learn programming and critical thinking skills, reports said.
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He further announced that Apple plans to increase spending on its rural education programme to 100 million yuan, reports added.
Cook also visited an Apple Store in Beijing on Friday, pictures of which went viral on Chinese social media.
CEO @tim_cook posts about his visit to #China to his 1.5mln followers on Weibo. 6400 likes so far for his post about meeting up with his team at a Beijing store and chatting with @Apple’s Chinese customers. https://t.co/inWQwyXaUF $AAPL pic.twitter.com/qfKyFBxbDp
— Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) March 24, 2023
Cook is in Beijing to attend the China Development Forum, a government-organised event being held in full force again after the country dismantled its zero-Covid regime late last year.
Besides Cook, the event is being attended by senior government officials as well as CEOs of firms such as Pfizer and BHP.
Cook’s visit comes at a time of rising tensions between Beijing and Washington. The Financial Times reported earlier that American business figures attending the “Davos-like event” were likely to stay “out of the limelight” due to tensions between the world’s two biggest economies.
The visit also follows Apple’s recent efforts to reduce its supply chain reliance on China by moving production to new up and coming centres such as India.
Last year, production at the world’s largest iPhone factory in Zhengzhou city, run by Apple supplier Foxconn, was heavily disrupted as strict covid curbs fuelled worker unrest.
- Reuters, with additional editing by Vishakha Saxena
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