Apple CEO Tim Cook used his first public remarks on his visit to China on Saturday to praise the country for its rapid innovation and its long ties with the US iPhone maker, according to local media reports. Apple CEO Tim Cook used his first public remarks in China in years on Saturday to praise the country for its rapid innovation and its long ties with the US iPhone maker, according to local media reports.
Cook is in Beijing to attend the China Development Forum, a government-organized event that is back in full force after the country ended its COVID controls late last year. In addition to Cook, the event is attended by senior government officials as well as CEOs of firms such as Pfizer and BHP.
“Innovation is developing rapidly in China and I believe it will continue to accelerate,” Cook said, according to The Paper. His visit comes at a time of rising tensions between Beijing and Washington, as Apple seeks to reduce its supply chain’s reliance on China and shift production to emerging hubs such as India.
Last year, production at the largest iPhone factory run by Apple supplier Foxconn was severely disrupted after China’s zero-Covid policy sparked worker unrest. Cook also visited an Apple Store in Beijing on Friday, pictures of which have gone viral on Chinese social media.
During his speech, Cook also discussed education and the need for young people to learn programming critical thinking skills, and announced that Apple plans to increase spending on its rural education program to 100 million yuan, local media reported.
