Apple and Alibaba's AI Rollout in China Said to Be Delayed by Trump's Trade War 5aw1v Technology News

Trump in late May said that Apple would pay a 25 percent tariff on iPhones that are sold in the US but not made in the country. b2v1i

By Reuters | Updated: 5 June 2025 15:51 IST

Apple and Alibaba's AI Rollout in China Said to Be Delayed by Trump's Trade War

Photo Credit: Apple 6642a

Apple is facing declining iPhone sales in China

Highlights

AI features are especially important in China
Consumer-facing AI products require regulatory approval in China
Apple Intelligence is a set of features with access to ChatGPT

ment

Apple and Alibaba's rollout of artificial intelligence services in China is being delayed by a Beijing regulator, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, as the partnership becomes the latest to take a hit due to US President Donald Trump's trade war.

The tech companies in February announced a deal to smartphone sales in its key market.

But their applications have been stalled at the Cyberspace istration of China (CAC), FT reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, due to increasing geopolitical uncertainties between China and the US

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AI features are especially important in China and consumer-facing AI products require regulatory approval.

Alibaba did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment, while the CAC could not immediately be reached.

A delay in the rollout of the features could prove costly for Apple, which is facing declining iPhone sales in China amid growing competition from domestic rivals, particularly DeepSeek's AI models into its cloud services and devices.

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Industry analysts have pointed to the absence of advanced AI features - a key selling point in latest-generation smartphones - as a significant disadvantage for Apple in the Chinese market.

The iPhone maker has also been slow in rolling out ChatGPT, with several advanced AI tools available on competing Android smartphones.

Trump in late May said that Apple would pay a 25 percent tariff on iPhones that are sold in the United States but not made in the country.

Apple will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) from June 9 to 13, and it will highlight updates to the software powering iPhones, Apple devices.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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