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Tim Cook meets with Chinese president ahead of iPhone X release

According to a new report from Reuters, Apple CEO Tim Cook recently met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting was part of an annual gathering of advisors to the business school at Beijing’s Tsinghua University…

The report explains the meeting took place today and that Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg was also attendance. Both Cook and Zuckerberg serve on the advisory board of the Tsinghua School of Economics and Management.

Apple wouldn’t comment on the meeting, with a spokeswoman saying that she couldn’t “comment on Tim’s schedule and/or meetings.” Zuckerberg, however, wrote in a post on Facebook that he was in attendance and that it represents a great way to keep up with innovation in China:

In a post on his Facebook page on Saturday, Zuckerberg wrote he was in Beijing for the annual meeting. “Every year this trip is a great way to keep up with the pace of innovation and entrepreneurship in China,” he said.

On Cook’s part, the meeting comes at a crucial time for Apple. The company is preparing to release its all-new iPhone X, while the iPhone 8 is already available in the country. Earlier today, a pair of reports offered a first look at how well the device is selling in China.

One report explained iPhone sales are up 40 percent this quarter after six consecutive quarters of decline, largely on the introduction of the iPhone 8. The other report noted that Chinese retailers are looking to keep that growth going with early discounts to the iPhone 8, especially with the impending launch of the iPhone X.

Apple has also come under fire for its conformity with the Chinese government. A pair of U.S. senators slammed Tim Cook earlier this month for Apple’s decision to remove a handful of VPN applications from the App Store at the request of the government. Cook has said Apple complies with government requests when possible.

More information about Cook’s interactions at today’s event is still unclear, but if more details emerge, we’ll be sure to update.


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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

Tips, questions, typos to chance@9to5mac.com