- Tim Cook said on Tuesday that Apple has a “responsibility” to conduct business anywhere.
- This includes China, a country whose government has been accused of violating human rights.
- According to reports, Apple suppliers in the country are also involved in the forced labor program.
- For more stories, please visit www.BusinessInsider.co.za.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Tuesday that the company has a “responsibility” to conduct business in as many places as possible.
This includes China, where human rights advocates claim that the Chinese Communist Party has persecuted thousands of Uyghur Muslim minorities.
“Achieving world peace through world trade,” Cook said, adding that operating abroad means that Apple must “recognize that other markets have different laws.”
His comment comes from The New York Times’ Virtual DealBook Conference When the host Andrew Sorkin (Andrew Sorkin) asked Cook about the controversy caused by Apple’s involvement in the country. Cook responded by quoting Tom Watson, the president of IBM in the 1930s.
For Apple, China is a lucrative market that has played a key role in the success of the mobile phone giant. The company relies on domestic suppliers to assemble many of its popular gadgets.
But The Information found in a report in May that Seven Apple suppliers in China are linked to forced labor programs, Including the use of Uyghur Muslims from Xinjiang.
And the March 2020 report From the Australian Institute of Strategic Policy Discovered links between Apple suppliers and forced Uyghur labor.
Human Rights Watch estimates 1 million Uyghur Muslims are persecuted in ChinaThe state detains them in detention camps, forcing them to abandon their culture for the sake of Chinese customs, such as learning Mandarin.
China refuted the description of the concentration camps, claiming that they were for the purpose of “re-education” and calling Uyghur Muslims Terrorists and religious extremists, As reported by Insider’s Alexandra Ma.
International human rights advocates and countries around the world have condemned China’s actions. Human Rights Watch stated in April that China is committing “crimes against humanity” Through its Uyghur prison center.
Apple is not the only company that meets China’s needs. LinkedIn reviewed the profile of reporters on its Chinese website in September Contains “prohibited content” that is considered offensive to the party. Some questionable content may be reporters listing their reports of Uyghur persecution or China’s abuse of rural Tibetans.
But LinkedIn said in mid-October It is closing its Chinese website After the rebound.
