Apple’s Deep Ties with China Reveal a Global Strategic Risk

Over a decade ago, foreign journalists based in Beijing gathered for an extensive conversation with a senior Chinese diplomat—a time when top officials still engaged openly with Western media. The diplomat, fluent in English and personable, had the latest iPhone displayed prominently on the table.

This stood in contrast to the prevailing narrative in Chinese state media at the time, which criticized the California-based tech firm for allegedly deceiving Chinese consumers—a claim that was unfounded. Rumors suggested government officials were discouraged from showcasing American luxury items, yet the diplomat’s iPhone contradicted these reports.

During that period, it was plausible to believe that China’s economic growth might eventually usher in political reforms. However, the rise of Xi Jinping in 2012, who consolidated power and reaffirmed the dominance of the Chinese Communist Party, dashed those hopes. As Patrick McGee highlights in his insightful and thorough book, Apple’s strategy under CEO Tim Cook to manufacture nearly 90 percent of its products in China has created a profound strategic risk—not only for Apple but also for the United States—by enabling China’s technological advancements to potentially surpass American innovation.

Drawing on extensive reporting, McGee—who formerly covered Apple and Asian markets—argues that Apple leveraged China to become the world’s most valuable company, simultaneously intertwining its future with a stringent authoritarian regime. His research leads to a striking conclusion: China’s current status would not be as it is today without Apple’s influence.

Apple claims to have trained over 28 million workers in China since 2008, a workforce larger than the entire labor population of California. The company’s annual investments in China, excluding the hardware’s intrinsic value—which would more than double the total—surpass the entire funding allocated by the U.S. government for a landmark initiative aimed at revitalizing domestic semiconductor manufacturing.

McGee describes this rapid concentration of technological knowledge and expertise as a geopolitical milestone comparable to the fall of the Berlin Wall, underscoring its profound global implications.