Tim Cook is likely visiting China to bolster support for Apple Intelligence, analysts say

In his second visit to China this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook has met with Beijing officials and local partners, as his company faces increased competition and looks to roll out Apple Intelligence in the country. 

China's Minister of Industry and Information Technology met with the CEO in Beijing on Wednesday to discuss Apple's development in China, network data security and cloud services, according to a ministry statement. 

In the conversation, the ministry said Cook signaled Apple's commitment to the country, promising to increase investment in the market and to grow alongside Chinese companies. That same day, he met with the leaders of several local Chinese firms, including China Mobile Chairman Yang Jie, to discuss digital content and 5G product cooperation, according to local reports. 

Ivan Lam, senior research analyst for Counterpoint Research, said the timing of the trip is significant, coming as local competitors are introducing updated operating systems that integrate AI and new flagship products.

"This trip seems notable now as the company could be looking to shore up collaboration with local players to launch Apple Intelligence in China," Lam said. 

Le Xuan Chiew, Canalys' analyst focusing on Apple strategy research, said the rollout of Apple Intelligence in China was likely the main motivation for Cook's trip, which was part of efforts to "bolster the importance of China to Apple's global strategy."

Apple Intelligence is the company's artificial intelligence play, which aims to bring AI across its devices with features such as an improved voice assistant and tools that automatically organize emails and transcribe and summarize audio recordings.

While the company has said Apple Intelligence will roll out in U.S.