Chinese officials banned from using iPhone while working

The Chinese authorities have banned officials of central government agencies from using iPhone smartphones, as well as other devices of foreign brands for work purposes.

This was reported by The Wall Street Journal newspaper, citing sources.
According to her, the order of the Chinese leadership "not only not to use, but also not to bring such devices to the office" was transmitted inside work chats, as well as through announcements and special meetings in relevant institutions and departments. Similar measures against Chinese civil servants have previously been applied on a smaller scale, while the current restrictions will cover an "expanded circle" of officials and departments. China has been applying sanctions against devices of foreign manufacturers of computer equipment and software for a long time, demanding their replacement with domestic analogues, the newspaper explains.
According to the publication, the current restrictions are related to the escalated confrontation between China and the United States, which forced both sides to strengthen state control over data security and digital activities of state institutions. This step allegedly became part of the work of the Chinese authorities to limit the leakage of confidential information abroad, as well as to reduce the country's dependence on foreign technologies. At the same time, such measures can significantly affect the revenues of Apple, which, the newspaper points out, "dominates the Chinese smartphone market in the high price range and receives about 19% of its total revenue from it."
On May 15, 2019, US President Donald Trump signed a decree introducing a state of emergency to protect the country's information and communication infrastructure from external threats. As a result, since May 17 last year, the American Ministry of Commerce has blacklisted Huawei, a major Chinese manufacturer of smartphones and other types of electronics, due to the threat to national security, which seriously limited the company's ability to purchase high-tech equipment in the United States. In August 2019, a ban on the purchase and use of telecommunications equipment by Chinese companies ZTE and Huawei by American government agencies came into force in the United States. The corresponding measures also apply to video surveillance systems and equipment of Chinese companies Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and Dahua Technology, as well as their subsidiaries, writes TASS.