CEO of Apple Inc, Tim Cook plans to visit Beijing later this month to meet with government senior officials, at a time when it is facing some setbacks in its most important foreign market, said a knowledgeable source matter.
By Matthew Miller / Reuters
Cook has traveled regularly to China since he took the helm of Apple five years ago, but his last visit comes at a critical period.
Since the decline in sales of its phones to the loss of a registered iPhone trademark, through the suspension of some of its entertainment services on the Internet, the US technology giant has been facing a wave of problems in recent weeks in his second largest market after the United States.
This raised questions about the growth momentum of Apple, after the company reported after the first quarterly sales drop in 13 years the week.
Last week, billionaire investor activist Carl Icahn said in an interview with CNBC that sold its entire stake in Apple, referring to the economic slowdown in China and doubts about whether the government will hinder Apple's business.
During his visit to China, Cook is scheduled to meet with government and Communist Party leaders, including officials responsible for propaganda, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. Apple did not respond to calls from Reuters for comment.
In recent weeks, the company has been in the cross-hairs of the ongoing government campaign to control content on the Internet and secure data storage location.
The online services, books and movies Apple were closed in China last month, cutting off a potential source of income following the introduction by Beijing of regulations in March that imposed strict limits on publications on the Web, especially by of foreign firms.