Apple and Samsung’s Phones Barred from China’s Government Offices

An unprecedented ban that will probably keep Apple and Samsung out of some regions of the largest mobile market in the world has been implemented by more Chinese government agencies and government-backed companies nationwide, ordering employees to stop bringing iPhones and other foreign devices to work. A Bloomberg News story claimed this, and China has strictly instructed its staff members not to bring Apple iPhones or other gadgets that are manufactured abroad to the workplace.

The order has been in effect for a number of years, but Beijing has been rapidly moving in the last several months to reduce its reliance on American technology. The China-imposed embargo on iPhones has significantly increased. Bloomberg News also states that staff members have been told to start carrying local brands by a number of state-owned businesses and government agencies in at least eight provinces during the past month or two.

Smaller businesses and government organizations in lower-class cities in provinces like Zhejiang, Shandong, Liaoning, and central Hebei, home to the largest iPhone factory in the world, issued their own verbal directives in December, according to Bloomberg News. In September, Chinese officials refuted reports that they had outlawed the use of iPhones in any kind of government setting, but they also expressed concern over the volume of media coverage of security incidents involving Apple products. The US government described China’s iPhone ban as inappropriate retaliation.

All of them together, though, pose a serious threat to Apple and Samsung, which are both finding it difficult to maintain growth in a crucial market. China accounts for approximately 25% of Apple’s income and is also the primary production location for the bulk of its gadgets. The same would apply for Samsung smartphones. Reports indicate that smaller businesses in less affluent areas have verbally ordered a cessation of non-Chinese phone usage, suggesting that this prohibition may also informally impact private companies.

The extent of the prohibition varies depending on the agency, even though the Chinese government has previously formally denied outright prohibiting iPhones and Samsung phones.