The escalating tension between the US and China seems to escalate with every passing date. With both trying to overpower the other, Apple’s Chinese operations has moved ahead and pulled more than 47,000 apps from the Chinese App Store. The unexpected move has left millions of Apple customers feeling the heat of turmoil between the two tech powers of the world.
Why Apple took This Step?
Apple took this drastic step to implement a policy change to remove a loophole that previously permitted paid games and games with in-app purchases to be traded even though they were still awaiting approval from Chinese regulators. This isn’t the first time that Apple has taken such a strong step to bring significant changes to its services designed for the Chinese consumers. For instance, in 2016, the Chinese regulators forced Apple to shut down the iBookstore and iTunes Movies in China exactly in six months after Apple launched those stores in the country.
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The Real Truth Behind It
Apple’s App Store operation in China has come under the radar also because of a loophole in its own operations. For app stores of other countries to work in China, the country has to enter in to a joint venture with a Chinese partner that works as majority owner and operator. However, Apple has been operating its App Store on its own. Apple has also apparently avoided sharing the source code for iOS with China so far, having negotiated an exemption with the Chinese government to not have to do so.
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The Trump administration is taking all plausible steps against Chinese tech companies, thus making it challenging for some to carry out their operations in the US. President also banned WeChat and TikTok, owned by Chinese tech giants Tencent and ByteDance , in the US, and has also decided tighten restrictions on Chinese phone maker Huawei after the Chinese government accused him of engaging in protectionism.
The US-led trade war is witnessing severe turbulences over a few months now and it is only a matter of time when either decides to take a harsh route. Stay tuned for latest new and updates on the steps taken by Trump administration to tantalize the Chinese government.
