This was reported by Bloomberg with reference to knowledgeable sources, as reported by Ukrinform.

Many Chinese state-owned firms and government departments in at least eight provinces have instructed their employees to use domestic brand smartphones and other mobile devices in the past one to two months.

The unspoken new policy of companies in the country is being implemented against the background of the growing popularity of the Chinese brand Huawei. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s administration has approved the decision to expand the ban on foreign-branded devices in a bid to reduce leakage of confidential data, sources said.

Meanwhile, in December, smaller firms and organizations issued their own verbal directives to ban Apple technology, signaling a new, much broader move to ban American devices in China.

The Chinese government has previously rejected claims of restrictions on iPhone use and expressed concerns about the security of the device.

“China has not issued any laws or regulations banning the purchase of Apple phones or foreign brands,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said in September. said.

Bloomberg writes that it is currently unclear how many Chinese government agencies have issued similar directives.

“Different organizations are likely to differ in the strictness of enforcement of internal decrees: some ban the use of Apple in the workplace, while others ban the use of Apple altogether,” the article says.

As you may remember, in September, it was learned that China had instructed officials of central government departments and institutions not to use iPhones and other Apple devices for work and not to bring them to offices.

Photo: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg