Apple products not blacklisted, says Chinese government

[Transcendence]

t was said earlier this week that the Chinese government blacklisted Apple products (iPhone, iPad, MacBook) because of security concerns surrounding iDevices and the supposed US Government’s spying activities.

Bloomberg News reported on the Apple product blacklisting last week, saying that the Apple products were banned “because of security concerns,†but Chinese officials say that the procurement list putout had nothing to do with blacklisted products (or security concerns), but instead, energy-saving products that adhere to Chinese energy regulations. “They didn’t say once that it had anything to do with national security,†said a Beijing supplier employee.

Bloomberg itself noted at the time that there was another list that permitted Apple products, and Chinese officials this week affirmed the same thing.

 

Chinese officials said today that Apple has never been on the list that circulated earlier this week because, although Apple products are energy-efficient, Apple’s never applied to have its products placed on China’s energy-efficient list.

 

We could chalk the miscommunication up to bad communication in general, and, seeing that Apple products can still be purchased, it’s not hard to see that maybe the Chinese government is telling the truth. At the same time, it makes us wonder who told Bloomberg, and whether or not Bloomberg got the news right. It’s also the case that, with security concerns about the iPhone that surfaced within the last few weeks as well as Apple’s defense that it hasn’t conspired with the NSA, whether or not Chinese officials want to discuss the matter publicly.

 

For now, though, Chinese officials can still purchase Apple products – despite the security concerns.