Apple chief meets officials in China in move to tackle difficulties

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has met officials in China as the tech giant tries to resolve mounting problems in the country where most of its products are made.

Mr Cook, who held discussions with Chinese government officials, was on his first visit to China since he took up the position last August, shortly before the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in October.

“China is very important to us and we look forward to even greater investments,” said Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu.

Apple has faced several difficulties in China.

In a high-profile case, an ailing local computer firm called Proview Technology, based in Shenzhen, has filed lawsuits against Apple claiming it owns the Chinese rights for the “iPad” trademark.

The Chinese firm’s lawyers were seeking to prevent Apple shipping the tablets into and out of China, which would have hit supply.

The iPad and iPhone maker has also had to deal with accusations by labour rights organisations that workers at Foxconn, a key supplier of Apple, were enduring poor conditions at the company’s plants in China. There has been a wave of suicides at the plants over the last few years.

A group of Chinese writers are also accusing Apple’s online store of selling pirated copies of their books.

Apple’s woes do not seem to be affecting sales: its gadgets are much sought after in China, its second-biggest market in the world.

The company is trying to tie up a deal with China Mobile, the country’s biggest mobile carrier. A link with the company is seen as essential if the iPhone is to achieve market dominance. It is currently in fifth place.

Apple has just five stores in the country, though it also sells its products through more than 100 resellers.