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       Apple Says It Was Ordered to Pull WhatsApp From China App Store

       Apple said it removed WhatsApp and Threads from its China app offerings Friday on Beijing’s orders, amid technological tensions between the U.S. and China.

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       An Apple Store in Shanghai in March. Apple said it removed WhatsApp and Threads, which are owned by Meta, from its app store in China.Credit...Hector Retamal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

       By Tripp Mickle and Mike Isaac

       Tripp Mickle reports on Apple, and Mike Isaac on Meta.

       April 18, 2024

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       Apple said it pulled the Meta-owned apps WhatsApp and Threads from its app store in China on Friday on government orders, potentially escalating the war over technology between the United States and China.

       The iPhone maker said that China’s internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration, ordered the removal of WhatsApp and Threads from its app store because of national security concerns. Apple said that it complied because “we are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree.”

       A Meta spokesman directed requests for comment to Apple. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported Apple’s removal of the apps.

       A person briefed on the situation said the Chinese government had found content on WhatsApp and Threads about China’s president, Xi Jinping, that was inflammatory and violated the country’s cybersecurity laws. The specifics of what was in the content was unclear, the person said.

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       An Apple spokesman denied that the Chinese government ordered the apps removed because of content on WhatsApp and Thread about Mr. Xi that was inflammatory.

       Relations Between China and the U.S. Biden’s Industrial Agenda: President Biden’s trillion-dollar effort to invigorate American manufacturing and speed a transition to cleaner energy sources is colliding with a surge of cheap exports from China, threatening to wipe out the investment and jobs central to his economic agenda. Technological Tensions: Apple said it pulled the Meta-owned apps WhatsApp and Threads from its app store in China on government orders, potentially escalating the war over technology between the United States and China. Rattling the Biotech Industry: A major Chinese firm that makes blockbuster drugs for the American market has come under scrutiny by Congress over national security concerns. Feeling Boxed In: President Biden’s effort to build U.S. security alliances in China’s backyard will likely reinforce the Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s view that Washington is leading a containment campaign of his country. And there is not much Xi can do about it.

       Several other global messaging apps had also been removed from Apple’s App Store in China on Friday, including Signal, which is based in the United States, and Telegram, which is based in Dubai, according to Appfigures, a market research firm that analyzes the digital economy. Signal didn’t immediately have a comment and Telegram didn’t respond to a request for comment.

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       Tripp Mickle reports on Apple and Silicon Valley for The Times and is based in San Francisco. His focus on Apple includes product launches, manufacturing issues and political challenges. He also writes about trends across the tech industry, including layoffs, generative A.I. and robot taxis. More about Tripp Mickle

       Mike Isaac is a technology correspondent for The Times based in San Francisco. He regularly covers Facebook and Silicon Valley. More about Mike Isaac

       A version of this article appears in print on April 20, 2024, Section B, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Apple Pulls Apps, It Says, On Orders From Beijing. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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