Apple, Ford, and Walmart lobbying against WeChat ban
What you need to know
- U.S. companies are lobbying against an executive order targeting WeChat.
- Apple, Ford, and Walmart were all on a call with the White House on Tuesday.
- Companies are worried it could undermine their competitiveness in China.
More than a dozen U.S. companies have told White House officials they are worried an executive order targeting WeChat will undermine their competitiveness in China.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal:
According to the report, "more than a dozen" major US multinational companies including Apple, Ford, Walmart, and Walt Disney took part in a call with White House officials on Tuesday. Other participants include Intel, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley.
Beyond lobbying against the order, the call was in part to establish the exact meaning of President Trump's order, a key aspect of which is the ambiguous nature of prohibiting "any transaction that is related to WeChat."
Companies including Apple could stand to lose out big time depending on the scope of the WeChat ban, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently stating a ban could cause worldwide iPhone shipments to fall by as much as 30% in a worst-case scenario. You can read the full report here.
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Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9