Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for
comment.
The five-year agreement was made when Cook made visits to
China in 2016 to quash a host of regulatory action against the company, the
report said, citing interviews and internal Apple documents.
Cook lobbied Chinese officials, who believed the company was
not contributing enough to the local economy, and signed the agreement with a
Chinese government agency, making concessions to Beijing and winning key legal
exemptions, the report added.
Some of Apple's investment in China would go toward building
new retail stores, research, and development centres and renewable energy
projects, the report said, citing the agreement.
China is one of Apple's largest markets with annual sales
growth of 83 percent in the country in its fiscal fourth quarter.
As part of the agreement, Apple promised to use more
components from Chinese suppliers in its devices, sign deals with Chinese
software firms, collaborate on technology with Chinese universities and
directly invest in Chinese tech companies, the Information report said. © Reuters
2021