China has ordered officials at central government organisations not to use Apple’s iPhones and other foreign-branded smartphones for work or bring them into the office.
The Wall Street Journal reported that although the directives had been delivered by supervisors to their personnel in recent weeks, it was unclear how extensively they were being disseminated.
The report did not name other phone makers besides Apple.
China has implemented new legislation and compliance standards for businesses in recent years as a result of growing concern over data security.
The country raised the stakes in the race to achieve technological self-reliance in May amid tensions with the United States by urging large state-owned companies (SOEs) to play a critical role in it.
