Apple may now be one of the most popular tech makers among Chinese consumers, but even the surging popularity of iPhones inside of the world’s largest mobile population hasn’t changed how Chinese government officials feel about iOS devices — they simply don’t trust them in high levels of government.
According to a new report from Reuters, China “has dropped some of the world’s leading technology brands from its approved state purchase lists.”
In their place are thousands of locally made products that are “trustworthy.”
While some “put the shift down to a protectionist impulse to shield China’s domestic technology industry from competition,” others see it as further evidence of China’s mistrust of U.S. technology.
Cisco Systems, Apple, and Intel Corp’s security software firm McAfee are among the prominent names and brands reportedly blacklisted by the Chinese government.
“The number of products on the list, which covers regular spending by central ministries, jumped by more than 2,000 in two years to just under 5,000, but the increase is almost entirely due to local makers,” Reuters confirms.
