US: iPhone ban is an attempt by Chinese authorities to retaliate

The ban is “consistent with the aggressive and inappropriate retaliation against U.S. companies we’ve seen in the past from the People’s Republic of China,” a spokeswoman for the agency said. However, according to the spokesperson, the US does not have a good idea of ​​what exactly the Chinese government is doing and why. He therefore urges China to be more transparent in its policy.

It became clear on Wednesday that the situation was far from clear. At the time, the Chinese government denied that the use of iPhones in ministries had been banned. Earlier, various media outlets wrote that government employees are actually banned. This applies not only to American Apple phones, but also to devices from other non-Chinese brands.

Black list

According to Bloomberg, China plans to extend the ban to employees of state-owned enterprises and other government-controlled companies. Anonymous sources told the news agency last week. But a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told AFP news agency on Wednesday that “China does not have any laws, regulations or guidelines prohibiting the purchase or use of foreign brand phones such as the iPhone.”

Reports of the iPhone ban came amid rising tensions between Apple’s home country, the US and China. The U.S. government is increasingly trying to keep China out of cutting-edge chip technology for fear of using it for military purposes. The US also blacklisted several Chinese companies, including telecom and smartphone group Huawei.