A report from Reuters says its source indicates Apple CEO Tim Cook will fly to Beijing later this month to meet with senior Chinese government officials, including propaganda officials. A “source familiar with the plan,” didn’t go into further details about the plan.
The meeting comes in the wake of April’s shutdown of the iTunes Movies and the iBooks Stores in China by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. The Chinese government in March introduced stricter rules for online publishing, especially concerning publishing by foreign owned businesses such as Apple. Those policies have affected a number of online services owned by foreign businesses.
Another hot topic at the meeting is likely to be the subject of encryption. Apple’s refusal to cooperate with federal law enforcement officials in their effort to unlock an iPhone used by San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook has reportedly “raised skepticism,” among Chinese officials.
Apple also recently lost a trademark case in China over the use of the “iPhone” name. The company is now forced to share the name with a Chinese leather goods maker.
Last week, billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn cited China’s economic slowdown and worries about whether the government could make it very difficult for Apple to conduct business, as reasons for his selling of his entire stake in Apple.
