China’s antitrust watchdog, the State Administration for Market Regulation, is laying the groundwork for a potential probe into Apple’s (AAPL) app store policies and the fees it charges app developers.
Apple policies under scrutiny include the cut of as much as 30% on in-app spending that Apple collects and the company’s policy of barring external payment services and stores.
The news is a reminder that China has weapons other than tariffs to employ in any trade war with the Trump Administration.
The regulatory interest comes long-running disputes between Apple and developers such as Tencent Holdings and ByteDance over Apple app store policies.
Chinese regulators believe that Apple may be charging local developers unreasonably high fees, sources told Bloomberg. Regulators also believe that barring third-party app stores and payment methods hinders competition and hurts local consumers.
Apple shares were down 2.40% today, Friday, February 7. They are now down 6.87% for 2025.
