Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook showed up at a company event in China on Wednesday after the company lowered the fees it collects from app developers in the country earlier this month.
Cook attended a event at an Apple store in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu to commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary, the municipal government said in a post on WeChat. An Apple representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The US company said last week that its typical commission on purchases will drop to 25% from 30% for its mainland China App Store, a major concession in a hugely lucrative market where the company faced the risk of antitrust intervention by local regulators.
The move is effective March 15 and applies to apps for both iOS and iPadOS, Apple said on its developer website, noting the shift follows “discussions with the Chinese regulator.”
After the announcement, Chinese ruling party’s flagship newspaper called for Apple to further ease App Store restrictions and fix “monopolistic” practices. The frank editorial underscored how Apple, which has clashed with Tencent Holdings Ltd. and ByteDance Ltd. over its iOS App Store policies, may continue to face pressure from Beijing.
Apple launched the App Store in China in 2010, and the platform is subject to heavier restrictions than the US version. Apple is more prone to remove certain apps at Beijing’s behest, pulling Meta Platforms Inc.’s WhatsApp in 2024. It’s also under pressure to open up its platform to facilitate third-party payments and external links for digital purchases.
In 2024, the company agreed to open up its mobile wallet technology to other providers free of charge for a decade in Europe, via a settlement that ended an investigation. In China, the antitrust watchdog has been examining the company’s policies in taking a cut on in-app spending and barring external payment services and stores, Bloomberg News reported last year.