According to Bloomberg, several state-owned firms and government offices in at least eight provinces instructed their employees to switch to local smartphone brands last month.

Give up on technology Apple He appealed to workers from Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Anhui, Shandong, Shanxi, Liaoning and Hebei. Hebei province is located near Henan province, home to the largest iPhone manufacturing plant.

Movements Apple There was a decline after the Bloomberg agency reported that the bans were expanded. China remains a critical market for Apple. Sales in the region have roughly tripled in the last decade. An Apple representative declined to comment. The State Council Information Bureau, which deals with online security, and the Cyberspace Administration of China did not respond to the request.

The Chinese government had previously denied reports of the ban iPhone, while expressing concerns about the security of the device. “China has not issued laws and regulations banning phone purchases Apple or foreign brands,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a press conference in September.