China threatens App Store probe in retaliation for trade tensions
Following the introduction of trade tariffs by the US, China is said to be considering an antitrust investigation into Apple's App Store practices.

Tim Cook (left) and Trump (right)
The new US trade tariffs ostensibly imposed on China will be paid by US businesses and consumers, not China or any other foreign country. But they mean higher prices for Americans, which will mean a decrease in sales, so China has been announcing retaliatory measures.
According to Bloomberg, those measures may now also include China launching an investigation into Apple's App Store fees and practices. This is despite the country having already investigated the App Store and concluding in May 2024 that Apple was not abusing its market position.
The new probe, as yet not officially announced, is said to involve China's State Administration for Market Regulation. It is to review Apple's policies, specifically concentrating on its 30% commission on in-app purchases -- which China previous ruled was in-line with other companies' fees.
It's also said to be planning to investigate Apple's restrictions on using third-party payment services and app stores. Chinese regulators have been in discussions with Apple and app developers since the May 2024 ruling, but as yet neither China nor Apple have confirmed the new investigation.
Nonetheless, Apple's shares were down 3% on the news.
What China has confirmed is that Google will be investigated under the country's anti-monopoly laws. The Chinese Commerce Ministry has separately placed the parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger on its "unreliable entity" list.
As for the impact on US consumers of President Trump's tariffs, Apple has previously been able to get exemptions. However, it did not get these consistently, and it has so far not escaped them this time.
Separately, as tariffs are being applied to goods from different countries in different amounts, certain regions are attempting to position themselves to benefit. India, for instance, has cut key import taxes in order to attract more manufacturing from firms such as Apple.
Read on AppleInsider

Comments
In 1933 sociopathic criminals took over the Reich Chancellery and ended up murdering millions of people and ultimately causing the death of 12 Million Germans and a destruction of a great many German cities.
Now we have a similar sort of situation whereby the plans of the current US administration is going to unleash God only knows what on the world. Just consider some of the recent moves: Patel (a certifiable lunatic) taking over the FBI; RFK (a dangerous conspiracy theorist) taking over the Department of Health; Musk moving chess pieces around the government like its a board game.
Now the tariffs are going to ruin Apple's most profitable market outside the US.
I don't see how we don't end up with mass chaos and WWIII.
Who could possibly have foreseen that happening?
Meanwhile, unelected billionaire Musk is ravaging through government organizations, which is completely unconstitutional.
Why did Americans choose this joker? He is a serious danger to the world.
I was about to emigrate back to the US, but we cancelled it when the election went sideways. Who wants to live there?
The state of the US administration right now is quite alarming. Both in internal and external (geopolitical) terms.
Big Tech and all up and downstream players are in for troubled times.
I wonder if Canada, Australia and New Zealand can wake up in time and save themselves because they also show signs of much of the rot infecting the UK and America.
Suppose a country, for example China, investigates Apple and says that it’s an antitrust violation for Apple to both sell the devices and run the AppStore on those devices. I wonder what they would do? If it’s Slovenia, or Uruguay, they’d just pull out, but China is a big market. I don’t think they could afford to pull out. OTOH giving up all control of what goes on the devices they sell would be a very bitter pill.
I'm certain the US needs China more than China needs the US. They have the upper hand in any and all negotiations here.
If you're hoping for a peaceful Trump 2 term, you haven't been following his stated desires to use military force to take Panama and Greenland, and invade Mexico, for starters after just two weeks. Not to mention pissing off Canada, a reliable ally for a century and biggest trading partner, and South Africa.
The current US administration professes to believe in "America First", but really that means "America Only", and they don't realize they are going to cede their position as a world power in fairly short order, as more nations join BRICS in retaliation to the trade wars Trump desires. And more nations will exploit the power vacuum
Why does he desires this? Because he thinks the "US was the richest before 1913 when we had tariffs." Of course he only understands that we had robber barons of extreme wealth that plundered the nation in that period, while the typical American could barely feed themselves, find jobs or educate their children.
A country of 380,000,000 will not wag the dog as it has in the past. And as the US withdraws from military alliances and influences as well as trade, they cede any global goodwill the country has generated by blood and treasure since WWI.