Apple not worried about Chinese economy woes

Apple's CEO Tim Cook has expressed his confidence regarding China's economy, despite the country's stock market and other monetary factors raising concerns among tech companies.

The comments arose as Cook toured around the country to coincide with the opening of Apple's 21st store in the country. The store is situated in Dalian - described as the 'most liveable' city in the country.

"I know some people are worried about the economy. We'll continue to invest," Cook told the Xinhua news agency. "China is a superb place to be. Nothing has changed that."

It was announced China's annual growth slowed to 6.9 per cent earlier this week, causing some companies and investors to pull out of business in the country.

However, this hasn't deterred the iPhone-maker and Cook thinks it still provides a huge opportunity for the technology company to make a lot of money.

In fact, China Mobile released its 4G customer results for September and it revealed the network signed up an additional 18.4m 4G smartphone users in the September quarter - many of these became iPhone customers, Forbes explained.

It's not just about making more money for Apple though - Cook also said he wants to make sure Apple continues to support China's mission to become cleaner. He announced new initiatives to help reach its goals, including integrating solar power into the company's manufacturing plants, which will be partly responsible for preventing 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution between now and 2020.

"Climate change is one of the great challenges of our time, and the time for action is now," Cook said. "The transition to a new green economy requires innovation, ambition and purpose. We believe passionately in leaving the world better than we found it and hope that many other suppliers, partners and other companies join us in this important effort."

Clare Hopping
Freelance writer

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.

Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.

As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.