China Mobile (0941.HKG, CHL.NYSE) on Thursday said net earnings rose 1.5% in the first half from a year earlier, suggesting the world’s biggest mobile carrier still faces tough competition from domestic peers, The Wall Street Journal reported. The continued sluggishness comes as the firm said it continues to face issues in talks with Apple (AAPL.NASDAQ) to begin offering a version of the iPhone to its customers. China Mobile chairman Xi Guohua said during a news conference that talks with Apple faced both commercial disagreements and technical hurdles brought on by the unique mobile standard China Mobile uses.