According to the report by Reuters, Apple has implemented new rules to list the Chinese app store, where the new apps will now need to show evidence of Chinese government license. The report further states that developers should have a company in China or should work with local publishers to obtain a license. This requirement has made it difficult for many foreign apps to list the China app store.
Under the new rules, Apple will no longer be able to list unreserved foreign apps on its China app store from next July. Chinese officials say new rules are required to tighten online scams, pornography and other harmful content. However, critics say that the rules are actually about giving more control to the Chinese government on which apps people in China can use.
China has already been blocking websites of many popular foreign social media apps like Instagram, FB and YouTube, but iPhone users in China download their desired apps from Apple’s App Bundle using unauthorized VPN service. However, to deal with this, the country’s Ministry of Information Technology issued these new rules in July, after which in the coming time, Apple will not be able to list such apps in its China App Store, whose operators are not registered with the government.
This new rule is a major setback for foreign app developers and users who want to use large -scale popular foreign apps. It also indicates the increasing desire of the Chinese government to control the Internet in China.
