Earlier reports which claimed China removed 10 of Apple’s products from its government procurement list due to security concerns have been refuted by the country’s chief procurement centre.
According to a Wednesday report from Bloomberg, names of 10 Apple products including the iPad, iPad Mini, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, were omitted from the government’s July purchase list initiated by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Ministry of Finance.
The misunderstanding over the alleged ban likely stemmed from the fact that the list mentioned in Bloomberg’s report was one aimed at energy-saving products and not a list that sanctions the government purchase of all products.
The China Government Procurement News, run by the finance ministry, disapproved the report saying that Apple’s goods had never appeared in the “energy-saving product list”, which is updated roughly every six months.
The Finance Ministry told Reuters on Thursday that Apple has the certification for energy-saving products, but it has never provided the necessary verification material and agreements according to the regulations. The Procurement Center also came up with a similar statement on Friday.
Even if Apple devices are not listed on the energy-saving list, they can still be purchased by Chinese government agencies.
It was on Thursday when the Procurement Center’s website stopped the sale of certain Apple products that the matter came into light.
Multiple suppliers told Reuters that sales of Apple devices were temporarily halted for a monthly price adjustment. The site has since then resumed selling Apple devices again.
