BEIJING – Apple boss Tim Cook on March 26 praised “the next generation of developers” during a visit to a technology hub in eastern China, as the US tech giant battles to stay relevant in the country’s vast consumer market.
The iPhone maker lost its status as the best-selling smartphone brand in China in 2024, but has sought to boost its ties to the country in recent months.
“Thrilled to meet the next generation of developers at Zhejiang University today,” Mr Cook said in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo that included a video of him interacting with students.
The post came as Apple announced it would donate 30 million yuan (S$5.5 million) to the college to provide students with technical and business training in app development.
Based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang University is known for producing elite tech talent, including Mr Liang Wenfeng, the founder of AI start-up DeepSeek.
The company stunned the world with a model chatbot that seemed able to match the performance of US rivals at a fraction of the cost.
Mr Cook met China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on the sidelines of a key development forum in Beijing on March 24, with the ministry saying they “exchanged views on Apple’s business development in China, China-US economic and trade ties and other topics”.
In February, Chinese ecommerce titan Alibaba said it would supply AI technology to power Apple’s iPhones in China. AFP
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