Apple's Cook vows to boost investment in China, ministry says

BEIJING (Reuters) -Apple will boost investment in China and further step up cooperation there, Chief Executive Tim Cook told the industry minister during a meeting on Wednesday in the capital, Beijing, the ministry said in a summary of their remarks. The comments come as the iPhone maker looks to sidestep U.S. tariffs on shipments from countries including its production hubs, China and India, by boosting already hefty investment in the United States to $600 billion over the next four years. China hopes Apple will continue to explore the Chinese market, Li Lecheng, who is also in charge of infotech, told Cook, adding that China would continue to foster a good business environment for foreign firms, including Apple. The summary gave no details of the size of the projected investment. Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Cook, who is in China this week, visited Apple's store in Shanghai and met Chinese game developers and the designer of the popular Labubu dolls, he said in posts on China's X-like Weibo. On Monday he said the iPhone Air would be available for pre-order in China after the ministry cleared the way for major telecom operators to support its eSIM functionality. When Cook visited China in March, Apple unveiled plans for a new clean energy fund there worth 720 million yuan ($101 million). ($1=7.1258 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Xiuhao Chen and Ryan Woo; Editing by Tom Hogue and Clarence Fernandez)

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