China officials denied that the government’s agencies have issued any laws, regulations, or policy documents that explicitly prohibit the purchase and use of foreign brand phones, including Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone.
According to Reuters, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made comments during a regular foreign ministry press briefing.
“Recently we did notice a lot of media exposure of security incidents related to Apple’s phones. The Chinese government attaches great importance to information and cyber security and treats both domestic and foreign companies as equals,” Mao Ning reportedly said.
The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported that China is mulling banning iPhone use by government officials. The country accounts for 19% of Apple’s total revenue.