HONG KONG — Apple announced that it has removed WhatsApp and the Threads social network from its China App Store in order to comply with the orders of the Chinese communist regime
The apps, both from Meta, were removed from the store on Friday after Chinese authorities flagged unspecified national security concerns.
His withdrawal comes amid rising tensions between the United States and China over trade, technology and national security.
The United States has threatened to ban TikTok on national security grounds. But while TikTok, owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, is used by millions of people in the United States, apps like WhatsApp and Threads are not now in common use in China.
In its place, the WeChat messaging application, owned by the Chinese company Tencent, reigns.
Other Meta apps, such as Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, remain available for download, although the use of these foreign apps is blocked in China due to its “Great Firewall” filter network, which restricts the use of foreign websites such as Google. and Facebook.
The orders of Chinese communism
“The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China store for national security reasons,” Apple said in a statement. “We are required to comply with the laws of the countries in which we operate, even when we do not agree.”
Meta did not comment on the matter.
Apple, which until recently was the world’s leading cell phone manufacturer, recently lost first place to its Korean rival Samsung Electronics.
The American company has dealt with headwinds in China, one of its three main markets, with sales falling after Chinese government agencies and employees of state-owned companies were ordered not to bring Apple devices to work.
Apple has diversified its production bases outside of China.
Its CEO, Tim Cook, visited Southeast Asia this week, traveling to Hanoi and Jakarta to conclude his tour in Singapore. On Friday he met with Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, where they “discussed the partnership between Singapore and Apple, and Apple’s continued commitment to doing business in Singapore.”
Apple committed to investing more than $250 million to expand its campus in the city-state.
Earlier this week, Cook met in Hanoi with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and pledged to increase spending on Vietnamese suppliers.
He also met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Cook stated that they had discussed Widodo’s desire to promote manufacturing in Indonesia, and said it was something Apple would “look into.”
Source: With information from AP.
