Apple could be next in the firing line as Chinese president Xi Jinping ramps up his response to US tariffs.
Beijing has already announced retaliatory measures in the wake of Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods.
China is imposing a 15% tariff on coal and liquified natural gas, and a 10% tariff on crude oil, farm equipment, and some trucks and cars.
China has also begun an antitrust investigation into Google, accusing it of violating antimonopoly laws. It announced an investigation into cutting edge Generative AI chip designer nVidia in December, well before the tariff war.
It’s therefore not a surprise that in its present mood, China would target Apple too.
Bloomberg reports that China might home in on Apple’s regulatory weaknesses, such as the charges it levies against developers in the app store.
This was the subject of long running litigation between Apple and Fortnite developer Epic Games.
The inquiry might also examine external payment services and stores. Apple has had disputes with major China developers such as ByteDance and TenCent Holdings over store policies.
However, nothing definite has been decided in terms of an investigation into Apple, which is struggling to hold its ground in China.
