Apple marked its 50th anniversary with global events, and the celebrations moved from New York to China where CEO Tim Cook attended a store event in Chengdu, but the mood shifted as regulatory pressure from Beijing began to overshadow the occasion and raised fresh questions about Apple’s business practices in one of its biggest markets.
The tension started before Cook’s visit when Apple reduced its standard App Store commission in mainland China from 30% to 25%, and the company said it made this change after discussions with local regulators, which shows how closely Apple now works with authorities to avoid stricter action.
According to a Bloomberg report, the situation did not settle after the fee cut, and pressure continued to build as China’s ruling party newspaper publicly asked Apple to address what it called “monopolistic” practices and loosen its App Store restrictions.
Regulatory pressure grows
The editorial urged Apple to further ease App Store rules and fix “monopolistic” practices, signaling continued scrutiny from Beijing.
This demand adds to ongoing friction between Apple and major Chinese companies like Tencent and ByteDance, which have challenged Apple’s control over payments and app distribution, while regulators continue to examine how Apple handles in-app purchases and blocks external payment systems.
China now appears to follow Europe’s approach, where regulators forced Apple to allow third-party app stores and open up key technologies like NFC, and officials in Beijing are likely pushing for similar changes that would allow third-party payments and external links for digital purchases inside apps.
Apple still relies heavily on China for revenue, but this pressure shows that even a milestone celebration cannot escape growing regulatory demands, and the company now faces a tougher balance between compliance and control over its ecosystem.
