The Impossible Partnership: Apple's Coming Reckoning with China
americanaffairsjournal.org> In late 2025, Chinese provincial disciplinary authorities announced an investigation into Xu Hao, then chairman of Guizhou Big Data Group, for suspected violation of party discipline and national law.5 Apple’s services continued without disruption, and the company made no corresponding public disclosure. But the episode illustrated something that rarely surfaces in earnings calls or investor filings. Apple is not responsible for storing its Chinese user data; instead, a Chinese state-backed company fulfills this function. That company operates inside a system where CCP authorities can intervene directly, quietly, and without any formal public process.
It should send shudders down anybody's spine to know one of the bastions of human rights is very very comfortable being in bed with CCP. I know Apple is seen as the company that stands up for its user, except in China where it is willing to bend over backwards.
What's more concerning is the selective disclosure. They dont talk about this at all, and let Apple enthusiasts weave a clean image for them.