China Reportedly Bans Government Purchases of Apple Products

China has removed Apple products from the list of eligible items that can be bought with public money due to security concerns, according to Bloomberg.

Ten Apple products including iPad, iPad Mini, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro were removed from the government procurement list for July. Both the iPads and MacBooks were on the June version of the list. These changes come just weeks after the Chinese state media labeled the iPhone a "national security concern."

Apple is the latest U.S. technology company to be excluded from Chinese government purchases amid escalating tensions between the countries over claims of hacking and cyberspying. China’s procurement agency told departments to stop buying antivirus software from Symantec Corp. and Kaspersky Lab, while Microsoft Corp. was shut out of a government purchase of energy-efficient computers.


Another report from Caixin says that Apple's absence from the list is not due to security concerns, but a failure on Apple's part to submit required information before a certain deadline.

Edward Snowden's revelations have raised concerns across the industry regarding Apple's touted product security. Just recently Russia asked Apple to hand over source code for some of its products.

Nearly 16% of Apple's $37.4 billion came from China last quarter and Apple continues to push its retail presence in the area.