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Tim Cook meets Chinese Vice Premier in Beijing, talks IP law, worker rights
Tim Cook's visit to China this week marks his first as Apple's CEO, but what originally appeared to be a casual jaunt to Beijing with possible carrier meetings on the agenda, has turned out to be a carefully orchestrated visit, including appointments with top government officials to talk economic development and intellectual property rights. Xinhua, the country's official press agency (and therefore not the most objective of sources), reported that Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang stated that the country will "strengthen intellectual property rights protection" and "pay more attention to caring for workers." Typical of state-sponsored releases, the report failed to expand on either statement, but even if nothing comes of this particular meeting, Keqiang is in line to take over as Premier next year, making him a solid addition to Cook's rolodex. There's a Chinese-language video of the encounter waiting just past the break.
Tim Cook meets with China's Vice Premier
Apple CEO Tim Cook met with Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing yesterday to discuss intellectual property rights and, most likely, the ongoing iPad trademark dispute with beleaguered monitor manufacturer Proview. According to M.I.C. Gadget, which provided footage from Chinese TV of the meeting between Cook and the Vice Premier, Li "is a vice commerce minister and official of the National Development and Reform Commission, and will almost certainly be preparing to become China's prime minister." Chinese news agency Xinhua said that the Vice Premier promised Cook that China would boost intellectual property rights protection. In return, Cook assured Li that Apple would strengthen its cooperation with the Chinese and conduct business "in a law-abiding and honest manner." Li also called on multinational companies like Apple to "pay more attention to caring for workers in China," something the company has made a priority in 2012. Video of the meeting is included below.
