For the first time in six years, Apple has taken back pole position in China’s smartphone seller list, reports the Financial Times. Their return to the top comes off the back of Huawei’s difficulties under wide-ranging US sanctions. US-based Apple cornered 23% of the world’s largest phone market in the fourth quarter of 2021, its highest ever market share in the country.
While Apple’s smartphone shipments in China were up 32% to 50 million units from a year earlier, Huawei saw its sales collapse 73%.
Apple has gone to great lengths to placate Beijing amid fierce geopolitical tensions with Washington and has so far avoided falling foul of China’s vociferous army of online nationalists, who have taken aim at other western companies including Intel, Walmart, H&M and Adidas.