Tim Cook’s Trip in China: Cooperation, Donation, and Labubu

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Yetao Gu

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Tim Cook’s Trip in China: Cooperation, Donation, and Labubu

Apple CEO Tim Cook visited China recently. He committed to increasing investment and cooperation in China and visited several Chinese companies.

Deepen Engagement in China

On Oct. 15, Tim Cook said Apple will continue to increase its investment in China and further expand its cooperation with the country, aiming for mutual benefits and shared success.

Cook made the comments in a meeting with Li Lecheng, China’s minister of industry and information technology, in Beijing.

Li encouraged Apple to deepen its presence in the Chinese market and actively participate in the country’s new industrialisation drive, fostering collaborative innovation with upstream and downstream partners in China’s industrial chain.

During the meeting between Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Tim Cook, the two sides exchanged views on topics including China-U.S. economic and trade relations and Apple’s business development in China.

Apple will continue to deepen its engagement in China and actively participate in China’s high-quality development, Cook said.

iPhone 17 has started sale in China since September 19. (Photo from CNS)

Support Students for Sustainable Innovation

On Oct. 14, Tim Cook announced a new donation to Tsinghua University on Weibo. The donation will be used to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to drive sustainable innovation, thereby enabling them to make meaningful contributions in their future professional endeavours.

“For over a decade, we’ve collaborated with Tsinghua University to invest in education and the future. We’re thrilled to advance this work with a new donation, fostering the next generation of environmental leaders,” he wrote.

Apple previously supported Tsinghua University’s China Green Innovation Summer Camp, which provided training in environmental management and low-carbon development to more than 20,000 students, according to the company.

Surprise Gift and Livestreaming

Cook’s trip to China this time, was started from Shanghai. He visited Pop Mart’s THE MONSTERS 10th anniversary exhibition on Oct. 13.

At the exhibition, Cook interacted with Wang Ning, the founder of Pop Mart, and Kasing Lung, the artist who created Labubu. They toured displays of original Labubu sketches and a variety of products. Lung gave a live demo of creating Labubu illustrations on an iPad Pro, while Wang presented Cook with a surprise gift—LABUBU.

Cook also made a surprise appearance on Douyin livestream. He announced that preorders for the iPhone Air in China will open at 9 am on October 17, with sales starting on October 22.

It marked Cook’s first livestream appearance on the platform since Apple’s official flagship store joined Douyin Mall in August.

Tim Cook visited the Chinese mainland multiple times in recent years, underlining the importance of the vast Chinese market.

Written by Gu Yetao, additional reporting by Xinhua, Global Times, Ecns.cn, and CGTN.

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