''Apple in China'' is a 2025 book by

Patrick McGee Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name *Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick o ...

(''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' reporter from 2013 to 2023), about how

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

invested in China in order to build

iPhones The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at M ...

and other technology, and by doing so helped China become more competitive. In the book, McGee says that under

Tim Cook Timothy Donald Cook (born November 1, 1960) is an American business executive who is the current chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Cook had previously been the company's chief operating officer under its co-founder Steve Jobs. Cook joined ...

Apple invested $275 billion over five years from 2016. McGee compares this to the

Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...

as this is in excess of other corporate spending. McGee says the Marshall Plan was about half Apple's investment, in real terms.

Reviews

In her May 15, 2025 review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'',

Hannah Beech Hannah Beech is an American journalist. Since August 2017, she has been the Southeast Asia Bureau chief for ''The New York Times'' based in Bangkok. She formerly worked for ''Time'' magazine; Beech specializes in Asia, and was sometimes credited ...

called ''Apple in China'' “smart and comprehensive,” praising Patrick McGee’s clever and chronologically organized timeline of how Apple’s expansion to China manufacturing facilities under then COO Tim Cook created a global success but also an “existential vulnerability” for the United States. She states in the review that the book author argues “China wouldn’t be China today without Apple”. In his May 13, 2025, ''

Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

'' review, Tom Knowles gives ''Apple in China'' four out of five stars, calling it an “eye-opening exposé” of the “lucrative relationship stained by manipulation, violence and abuse” between Apple and China’s authoritarian regime. In his May 20, 2025, review for The China Academy, Chen Jing, a manufacturing observer, argues the story is “greatly exaggerated,” challenging the claim that Apple single-handedly empowered China. He disputes the $55 billion annual investment figure as overstated and questions the

comparison, suggesting a Western bias that credits American companies for China’s rise while ignoring its internal capabilities.

References

External links

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The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...

* * - Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas * * Science and technology in the People's Republic of China Apple Inc. 2025 non-fiction books {{book stub