Chinese officials prohibited from using Apple equipment: Reason revealed
Illustrative photo: Chinese officials prohibited from using Apple equipment (Getty Images)
A number of Chinese state-owned companies and departments have begun to ban their employees from using Apple and Samsung devices at work, reports Bloomberg.
According to sources familiar with the matter, several state-owned firms and government departments in at least eight provinces have instructed their employees to use Chinese-made smartphones and other mobile equipment over the past month.
The new campaign to abandon Apple technology coincided with the growing popularity of Chinese manufacturer Huawei's products. According to the sources, the Xi Jinping administration decided to expand the ban on the use of foreign devices in an attempt to reduce the leakage of classified data.
Additionally, in December, scores of small firms and organizations issued their verbal directives to ban Apple equipment, signaling a new, broader movement to ban American devices in China.
The Chinese government has previously denied reports of iPhone restrictions.
"China has not issued any laws or decrees prohibiting the purchase of Apple phones or foreign brands," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a press briefing.
The extent of the bans in different provinces is unclear, but collectively they pose a serious problem for Samsung and Apple, which are struggling to maintain sales growth in the key market.
Earlier it was reported that Apple plans to dramatically increase iPhone production in India due to difficulties with production in China.
