Fmr. Apple in China Employee: Due to ‘Deep Partnership’ with CCP, Companies Like Apple Have ‘To Do What They Want’

During a portion of an interview with NPR aired on Monday’s broadcast of “Morning Edition,” Doug Guthrie, a former employee of Apple in China who also advised company executives on Chinese politics, stated that due to the “deep partnership” between corporations like Apple and the Chinese government, Apple ends up having to do what the Chinese government wants.

During a clip that was played in a segment on Apple denying the Chinese people tools like the AirDrop feature that they use to get around the censorship tools of the Chinese Communist Party, Guthrie said, “There’s a deep partnership between companies like Apple and the Chinese government, and you’ve got to do what they want.”

NPR International Desk Correspondent John Ruwitch then stated, “The company has moved some assembly to places like India and Vietnam, but Guthrie calls that hand-waving about diversifying, relocating supply chains will take years. And he says that means Apple is beholden to China. And now, it has to contend with pressure from Chinese citizens who aren’t happy about that.”

Ruwitch also introduced Guthrie’s comments by stating that “He says Apple’s supply chains in China are the key to its profitability.”

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