China announces ban on iPhones, foreign-branded devices use by government officials

China has recently expanded its ban on the use of iPhones and other foreign-branded devices by government officials. According to a report, the move has been initiated in sensitive departments to government-backed agencies and state companies, instructing staff not to bring their iPhones to work. 

Besides, Beijing intends to extend that restriction far more broadly to a plethora of state-owned enterprises and other government-controlled organizations.  

If the Chinese authority is ready to implement this, the unprecedented blockade will be the culmination of a year’s long effort to do away with foreign technology used in sensitive environments. This will also result in Beijing’s effort to reduce its reliance on the American software and circuitry. 

This move also threatens to erode Apple’s position in a market that yields about a fifth of its revenue. Apple makes the majority of the world’s iPhones through sprawling factories from China alone that employ millions of Chinese. 

However, it is unclear how many companies or agencies could eventually adopt restrictions on personal devices, as there has been no formal or written injunction as yet. 

As per the same report, a few firms forbid Apple devices from the workplace while others could bar employees from using them entirely. 

Earlier in 2022, Chinese authorities ordered central government agencies and state-backed corporations to replace foreign-branded personal computers with domestic alternatives within two years. This was done to mark one of the most aggressive efforts to eradicate key overseas technology from within its most sensitive organs.