Banned or not? Why there is confusion over restrictions on iPhone use in China

China has denied banning Apple’s iPhones for government staff at work. Multiple media reports said last week that Beijing has prohibited central government officials from using the Apple devices. Now, China’s foreign ministry claims that no such ban has been issued on the purchase and use of foreign phone brands, triggering confusion. What has the Chinese government said? What were the previous media reports? Let’s take a closer look. What is China saying? China said on Wednesday (13 September) that it had not notified any laws or regulations forbidding government employees from using or buying foreign phones. “China has not issued laws, regulations or policy documents that prohibit the purchase and use of foreign brand phones such as Apple’s,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, as per Reuters. She added that Beijing has noticed there have been “many media reports about security incidents concerning Apple phones”, Bloomberg reported. [caption id=“attachment_13122832” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] China has denied banning Apple’s iPhones for government staff at the workplace. Reuters (Representational Image)[/caption] Mao further said the Chinese government “attaches great importance to information and cyber security and treats both domestic and foreign companies as equals.” “We also hope that all mobile phone companies operating in China can strictly abide by China’s Data Security Law and the Personal Information Protection Law and other laws and regulations, strengthen information security management, and protect consumers’ data stored in mobile phones from theft by any person or organisation, so as to ensure information security,” Reuters quoted the foreign ministry spokesperson as saying. What was reported earlier? The purported ban was first reported by The Wall Street Journal which said that China has asked staffers at central government agencies not to use iPhones and other foreign-branded devices for work or even bring these mobile phones to the offices. The report, citing unnamed sources, said the orders were issued by superiors to the employees via workplace chat groups or meetings. Six unnamed sources at government institutions and state-owned companies told The Financial Times that they have been asked to stop using iPhones. A Reuters source at a Chinese regulatory body said that they had not been explicitly forbidden to use iPhones but were warned that they would be “held responsible” if any issues occurred due to their use of the smartphone. On 7 September, Bloomberg reported that China is planning to extend the Apple phone ban to state-owned enterprises and other government-controlled organisations. As per an Associated Press report on 8 September, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao did not comment directly on the matter at the time but said that “products and services from any country are welcome to enter the Chinese market as long as they comply with Chinese laws and regulations.” Why would China ban iPhones? If China indeed bans the use of iPhones , it would be in line with its yearslong efforts to weed out foreign technology use in sensitive environments, noted Bloomberg. The reports of these supposed restrictions also come at a time when relations between China and the United States have worsened over the last few years. Both countries have taken steps to reduce economic dependence on each other. According to Al Jazeera, China and the US view each other’s tech companies as a potential security risk that could give “backdoor access to sensitive data and government infrastructure.” Responding to media reports of China planning to extend the ban on American company Apple’s iPhones recently, the White House called it an attempt to retaliate against the US. “We’re watching this with concern, clearly. It seems to be of a piece — of the kinds of aggressive and inappropriate retaliation to US companies that we’ve seen from the PRC (People’s Republic of China) in the past. That’s what this appears to be,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday, as per Bloomberg. “But the truth is, we don’t have perfect visibility on exactly what they’re doing and why, and we certainly would call on them to be more transparent about what they’re seeing and what they’re doing,” he added. Meanwhile, Beijing is also trying to give a leg up to domestic companies, including Shenzhen-based Huawei. The Chinese company recently unveiled the Mate 60 Pro smartphone priced at $1,200 (over Rs 99,000) which tech analysts believe can be a challenger to the iPhone. Why a ban in China would be bad news for Apple China is the largest foreign market for Apple, with about a fifth of the company’s total revenue coming from sales in the Asian country last year, as per CNN. Apple’s majority of iPhones are also made in factories in China. [caption id=“attachment_13122842” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] China is the largest foreign market for Apple. Reuters File Photo[/caption] After last week’s reports, Apple’s shares tumbled nearly six per cent, leading to the company losing around $200 billion in market capitalization. Analysts also predict Huawei’s new phone will take from Apple’s market share, reported Bloomberg. However, Apple’s tensions are not just limited to China. France has banned the sale of the iPhone 12 as its radiation watchdog said that the smartphone emits electromagnetic radiation levels that are above the European radiation exposure limits. The National Frequency Agency asked the iPhone maker to “implement all available means to rapidly fix this malfunction” for phones already being used. If this does not work, “Apple will have to recall” the already sold phones, reported CBS News citing the French government agency. Apple has rebuffed the findings saying its device meets the regulations. With inputs from agencies