The Communist Chinese Press Attacks Apple For Being “Empty And Self-Praising”

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A communist country pointing the finger at Apple for being tight-lipped? That's the pot calling the kettle black.
A communist country pointing the finger at Apple for being tight-lipped? That's the pot calling the kettle black.

The Chinese Communist Party is continuing to attack Apple in the press, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. After China Central Television (CCT) ran its big hit piece, the government’s newspaper has also decided to throw dirt on Apple now. The first criticisms revolved around Apple’s product warranty practices, while the second volley of propaganda calls out Apple’s lack of interaction with the Chinese media.

From the Journal’s report:

The People’s Daily newspaper, the party’s traditional mouthpiece, in a front-page article on Monday accused the electronics maker of declining journalists’ requests for interviews and issuing an “empty and self-praising” response to a recent critical report by China’s national television broadcaster. The article was accompanied by a cartoon with a figure representing the company, saying, “Apple statement: empty.”

The Chinese government started putting Apple under its spotlight when CCT ran an expose on the company’s warranty and device replacement policies. According to the piece, Apple fixes broken devices under warranty in China instead of replacing them with totally new devices like it does in the United States. This was painted as a business practice that negatively affects the Chinese people.

And now The People’s Daily is taking shots at Apple’s PR department. It looks like dirt is being thrown wherever it can. But why would China be targeting Apple in such a way?

As Cult of Mac columnist Mike Elgan has already explained, China is trying to screw Apple for potentially three reasons: 1) The iPhone is the “greatest tool for freedom and democracy movements, and simultaneously the greatest tool for suppressing dissent, tracking dissidents and monitoring the conversations and movements of political troublemakers.” 2) Apple “draws a persistent spotlight on unsafe and inhumane conditions for factory workers in China. ” 3) China doesn’t want Apple to kill domestic competitors that can be controlled by the government, like Huawei.

Whatever the reason, it’s obvious that friction exists between Apple and the Chinese government. Tim Cook has said he expects China to surpass the U.S. as Apple’s largest market soon.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

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