China reportedly expands ban on foreign smartphones

Apple logo shown at an Apple Store, in Shanghai, China [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The Chinese government has reportedly expanded its ban on foreign smartphones to boost its local handset brands instead, barring Apple and Samsung devices from more public offices.

According to a recent report by Bloomberg News citing anonymous sources, the Chinese authorities have ordered public workers in at least eight regional governments and employees at state-run companies not to use overseas smartphones. The instructions were issued over the past couple of months across the country.

It is a significant expansion from the previous curb imposed on only a limited number of government agencies and state companies in Beijing and Tianjin in September ahead of Apple’s iPhone 15 rollout.

The Chinese authorities denied such reports back in September.

The widening restriction has been implemented in major provinces, including Zhejiang, Guangdong and Jiangsu.

The move is widely considered Beijing’s attempt to reduce its reliance on foreign technologies, especially from the United States. However, Samsung Electronics is also likely to take a hit, as the electronics manufacturer is struggling to secure a footing in the world’s largest smartphone market.

Samsung Electronics held only 1.78 percent of the Chinese smartphone market share as of March this year, according to ElectronicsHub’s data.

Meanwhile, China remains one of Apple's most important markets, accounting for about 20 percent of its revenue.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]