Photo: Screenshot of the video clip by China's Ministry of Commerce

Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao met with Apple CEO Tim Cook in Beijing on Friday, according to a video clip released on the official WeChat account of China's Ministry of Commerce.

The video showed Cook being welcomed by officials from the Ministry of Commerce. Shaking hands with Wang, Cook said, "So great to be back with you again." Wang responded, "We are old friends," to which Cook replied, "Indeed."

In a meeting, Wang said he recalled that each previous discussion with Cook had been highly pragmatic, with both sides engaging in candid and pragmatic exchanges that proved mutually enlightening.

Wang has repeatedly mentioned that he enjoys his conversations with Cook. "In today's meeting, I believe we can continue along that same path of frankness and mutual trust to explore some shared issues," he added.

Cook emphasized the importance of Chinese market and local supply chains to Apple. He said Apply focuses not only on supply chain itself, manufacturing and on automating, and putting as much of AI in the factory as possible. 

"So we very much focused on high-quality development. And we are very appreciative of the [Chinese] government incentives that are stimulating consumption in the country, and I'm very pleased to be participating in [the process]," Cook said. 

Cook kicked off his first China tour in 2026 from Wednesday ahead of the China Development Forum 2026 (CDF), which will be held on March 22 and March 23. He visited Apple Store in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. He made a trip to Chengdu City in Southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday, marking the first Asia-Pacific stop of Apple's global celebrations for the company's 50th anniversary.

Global Times