Tim Cook, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apple, visited Beijing and met with the head of a major Chinese entertainment agency. Cook is actively sending messages of courtship to the local market, praising the performance of a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) model called "DeepSeek."
According to the industry on the 23rd, Tim Cook took a walk with Yang Tianzhen, the head of the major Chinese entertainment agency Yixin, at Jingshan Park, which overlooks the Forbidden City, on the 22nd. He said, "I was amazed by the view of the Forbidden City from the top of Jingshan." Yang Tianzhen noted on social media that he asked Cook to release a pink iPhone. Cook also watched a performance by Henry, a singer from Super Junior, with Yang Tianzhen.
At the China Development Forum (CDF) event on the 23rd, when a reporter asked whether he had tried the Chinese high-performance AI model "DeepSeek," Cook responded without hesitation, "Of course. It was excellent."
Cook visits China annually to attend the China Development Forum (CDF), but unlike previous years when he mainly visited local Apple stores, this year he toured traditional landmarks and actively interacted with cultural figures. As U.S.-China tariff conflicts continue and Apple's production costs increase while market share in China declines, it is interpreted as him directly conveying a friendly message to China.
Based on last year, the iPhone's market share in China stood at 15%, a decrease of 4 percentage points compared to 19% in 2023. It is expected that the additional 20% tariff imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on China will also exert significant pressure on Apple, which has made China a core production base.