Apple’s Cook makes third trip to China in 2024 amid iPhone slump and AI uncertainty

The CEO lauded the importance of Apple’s Chinese partners at the International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing

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Tim Cook, seen in this file photo, has taken his third public trip to China this year. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:00pm, 25 Nov 2024Updated: 3:04pm, 25 Nov 2024

Apple CEO Tim Cook turned up at a supply chain conference in Beijing on Monday, his third public appearance in China this year, as the executive courts the world’s biggest smartphone market amid an iPhone sales slump and uncertainty around the local launch of the Apple Intelligence system.

Cook, seen in a short video clip published on Monday, said he valued Apple’s Chinese partners “very highly”. “We could not do what we do without them,” he said in response to a question from an online media outlet affiliated with state broadcaster China Central Television.

The executive appeared at the China International Supply Chain Expo, which is set to kick off on Tuesday. It was his first time attending the show, Cook told Ren Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the event organiser.

Apple did not disclose Cook’s itinerary. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

People line up outside an Apple store in Beijing as the iPhone 16 series went on sale in September. Photo: Reuters

Cook’s latest trip to China reflects the importance of the market to Apple, even as the company moves to diversify its production chain away from the country to counter geopolitical risks.